Animal Rights Activist Suing DC Over Ordinance That Prohibits Denying Ownership of a Dog

Says his dog is not his property and that's a key element of his presentations about animal rights

An animal rights advocate and public speaker who believes pets are not property sued the District of Columbia, claiming its law that "No person shall knowingly and falsely deny ownership of any animal," could cost him his beloved beagle Liam if he talks about him.

Iver Robert Johnson III aka Jay Johnson sued the District of Columbia in Federal Court, challenging the constitutionality of D.C. Code § 8-1808(b).

Only with a court order, Johnson claims, can he safely declare that his rescue beagle Liam is not his property.