by Kristin Tillquist

Perhaps you’ve heard of her—the Pet Law lawyer? Kristin Tillquist works with Vancouver’s Quinlan Abrioux, where about 30 per cent of her business is in pet and animal law. In fact, she was the first lawyer in Canada to specialize in animal law. “Kristin has an obvious passion for animal issues, but takes a very balanced and measured approach to controversial issues,” says Steven Huddart, Director of Education with the BC SPCA.

Kristin’s interests led her to the BC SPCA, where she volunteers on a number of committees including the Animal Welfare Committee and the Pets and Rental Housing Task Force. The Animal Welfare committee produces position papers on issues such as adoption criteria, and rodeos. The Pets and Rental Housing Task Force is currently working in cooperation with government and residential housing to create a policy tool kit that will help landlords develop pet-friendly attitudes, so as not to discriminate against people with animals. “15 per cent of animals at the SPCA are listed as being surrendered because the owners were unable to find rental units that would accept pets,” says Steven. “And fewer than two per cent of (rental housing) ads in newspapers say they will accept pets.”

According to Doug Hooper, CEO/Executive Director of the Vancouver Regional SPCA, Kristin has been front and centre with the SPCA, providing “policy advice, guidance and support”. “She’s a friend for the animal in many ways and a goodwill ambassador for us,” he says.

Steven believes Pet Law is an expanding area of law—he notes that there are already 8 to 10 law schools in the United States, including Harvard, with programs based around animal law. UBC’s new Animal Welfare Program is linked to its Centre for Applied Ethics and the correlation between animal abuse and human abuse is on its way to mainstream knowledge. “As a community we cannot ignore cruelty to animals. We must address injustice and create a more compassionate community all around,” says Steven. He also believes that society will see an increasing focus on animal rights. It is easy to see Kristin Tillquist leading the way.

This article was published in the February 2000 issue of BarTalk. © 2000 The Canadian Bar Association. All rights reserved.