Update:

Jun 10, 2026

Today is Rosie's birthday.  I didn't wake up to my animal companion beside me.

But the closest I came to holding her today  ... was knowing her story and your signatures brought to life Rosie's Law aka HB4540, the Companion Animal Custody Equity Act, which just passed both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly and is awaiting the Governor’s signature. Our sponsor already asked him to sign the bill when it makes his way to his desk.

Now it's just a matter of time before no one ever has to go through what Rosie and I did ever again...

Thank you to every person who signed, shared, donated, encouraged, and believed in this effort. Because of you, we achieved what many people thought was impossible.

I am grateful.

But even more, I am utterly devastated.

Because Rosie turned 14 today.

I met Rosie when she was 6 years old. I became her person for more than half her life.

She wasn't just a dog living in my home.

She was my family.

She had separation anxiety when I first met her. So I stayed close and we became inseparable.
It was annoying at times, I mean, I needed my space...

She scratched at the bathroom door if I closed it. If I sat down for five minutes, she'd somehow find a way to be touching me. She followed me from room to room. She sat beneath my desk and snored loudly while I worked. She toppled over my laundry hamper so she could sleep into a pile of my clothes. My clients immediately recognized when she was gone and still ask about her to this day... 

What I would give to be annoyed by those things again...

After the end of what would have been my seventh year of engagement, Rosie remained with me in our home. I cared for her every day. I fed her, walked her, took her to appointments, paid for her care, purchased her food and supplies, managed her insurance, and built my life around her needs.

Then, in March 2025, Rosie was removed from her home and her person.

I was told she would be brought back.

She never was.

I haven't seen her since.

When I went to court, I thought if I brought enough evidence, someone would listen.

I brought veterinary records, licensing records, insurance records, photographs, videos of her separation anxiety, receipts, medical documentation, and years of caregiving history.

I brought evidence of attachment.

I brought evidence of belonging.

I brought evidence of love.

I brought evidence of need.

I brought Rosie's sitter, groomer, next door neighbors, and got written affidavits from our housekeeper and landscaper testifying to Rosie's bond with me--the human she imprinted on...

I even brought a letter from my psychologist stating Rosie was the equivalent of a service animal for my wellbeing. 

The court told me that none of it mattered.

Under the law at the time, Rosie could only be viewed as property.

The equivalent of a car.

That moment changed my life.

Because Rosie is not a car.
When you shoot at a police car or a K-9 which one tends to make the news? ​Which one are we likely to hold a memorial service for?

Rosie's a living, breathing, sentient being.
My companion animal.

Anyone who has ever loved a dog, cat, or horse already understands this.

These domesticated animals form deep bonds with their humans. Research suggests that dogs have emotional and cognitive capacities comparable in some respects to those of a very young child. They can become deeply attached and show behaviors associated with sadness, jealousy, excitement, and frustration.
 
They grieve.

They miss people.

They love people.

They belong with people.

The deeper I researched the science of attachment, animal behavior, grief, and the human-animal bond, the more obvious the problem became.

Illinois law already allowed courts to consider the wellbeing of companion animals in divorce cases.

Yet every year, less and less people are getting married while more and more companion animals are becoming family.

The gap was real.

The consequences were real.

And Rosie paid the price for it.

This was Rosie's vet appointment note shortly after she was removed from me. It showed a deterioration in her health.

Diarrhea and house-soiling in an otherwise well-trained senior dog can be consistent with stress-related behaviors, including separation anxiety and prolonged grief. While these symptoms can have multiple medical and behavioral causes, veterinary research recognizes that significant stress and emotional distress may contribute to gastrointestinal upset and changes in elimination habits.

Previous records do not show that Rosie had an anal sac rupture, monthly diarrhea episodes, or a documented history of house-soiling. I am not attempting to relitigate the case; all of this is on public record.  The evidence speaks for itself. I got nothing to prove, I am simply speaking the truth. I previously tried to raise these concerns, but they were not meaningfully addressed. 

I decided that if the law would not consider Rosie's wellbeing, I would try to change the law.

So I began Rosie's Law Initiative and JusticeForRosie.org 

That initiative launched a PR campaign

What started as heartbreak became research. It showed up in my work.​

Research became a legislative framework such as this and this. and eventually THIS.

That framework became HB 4540.

That gave way to my Testimony

Then HB4540 passed the House and the Senate.

And today, because of so many people who cared enough to help, that bill sits on the Governor's desk awaiting signature.

That is a miracle I never thought I would live to see and I could not have done it without YOU.

Yet today, on Rosie's 14th birthday, my heart keeps returning to one truth:

The dog this law was written for never got a choice. 
Because of that, Rosie is still not home.

Our original goal was never simply to pass a bill.

Our goal was to bring Rosie home.

Passing Rosie's Law was one step.

However perhaps Justice For Rosie now looks like Rosie reuniting with the person she imprinted on.

If you have not signed the petition, please sign it.

If you have already signed it, please share it.

Bring Justice for Rosie by sharing her story.

Help people understand why this matters.

Because every day matters when a dog is 14 years old. In dog years, that's roughly equivalent to a human in their mid-to-late 70s.

I used to think changing a law was impossible. Not anymore.

So today I'm choosing to believe that one more impossible thing might still happen too.​

Happy Birthday, Rosie.

I love you.

With You Always🌹

Your person,
Tameer <3

#JusticeForRosie
#RosiesLaw
#BringRosieHome
#CareCounts

_____________________________

Animals are NOT property.
Their well-being deserves real legal protection.

When pets are family, the law should treat them that way.

That’s why I’m calling for Rosie’s Law: 
-legislation that treats disputes involving companion animals as custody cases, not property battles.

Illinois has modernized outdated laws before. It can do it again. This time for the animals who share our homes, routines, and hearts.

Rosie’s Story
Rosie is a 13-year-old senior Puggle who spent her longest, most stable chapter of life bonded to me.

Our relationship was built through daily care, routine, and emotional trust — all documented through vet records, photos, receipts, and witness statements.

But when my engagement ended after almost a decade of being together, everything Rosie and I built disappeared in the eyes of Illinois law.

Why?
Because I wasn’t married, the system treated Rosie as property.

Not as a living, breathing sentient being with attachments, memory, and needs.

Property that someone else simply called “dibs” on first.
Even under property law, neither of us held title — yet Rosie's keeper was granted exclusive possession because she demonstrated she had Rosie first even though she wasn't the first to have Rosie to begin with.

This leads to the deeper truth:

Even if a person's name is on the title or they originally brought an animal into the relationship as their own — that alone should never decide the fate of a living being who has established emotional bonds, a documented caregiving history, and a primary attachment to someone else. At the very least, visitation rights should have been granted, because this was clearly a pet custody matter, despite it being treated as a property dispute.

What Happened in Court
You can bring evidence.
You can bring witnesses.
You can bring years of caregiving and documentation.

And still walk out unheard.

My temporary possession hearing was abruptly converted into a final verdict — 

My Latine witnesses, who showed up despite ICE patrols, waited over an hour, then had to return to work and were not able to testify.

Even an 18-year-old neighbor who translated for his Spanish-speaking family was denied the chance to testify. I was told that no matter how well I cared for Rosie, it “didn’t make her mine,” the same way caring for an unknown person's car wouldn’t make it mine.

Meanwhile, two old Instagram photos were admitted as “sequence of ownership” because I “didn’t object fast enough.” 

And then the judge compared “sequence of ownership” to Christopher Columbus “discovering” America, proving the flaw in the logic; when I pointed out that his own analogy proved my point, that someone who arrives second can still seize what isn’t theirs. When I explained that sequence is not ownership because showing up first or second does not make something yours; It only reveals who has the power to seize it, I was told to sit down.

Under Illinois replevin law, when no one can prove title, judges often evaluate superior possessory interest through factors like care, cost, and control — not sequence.

I provided substantial evidence of all three.
Still, the standard was ignored.

The Harm to Rosie
Rosie is a senior dog — emotionally comparable to a two-year-old child.
Forced separation at that age doesn’t just hurt; it harms.

When I learned Rosie had missed a vet appointment labeled “sick/injured,” I reached out and was ignored. Only after I raised concern publicly did her keeper respond, claiming Rosie was “perfectly fine.”

She was not fine.

When her keeper attempted to bring her to the vet and the clinic was unavailable, they provided a list of urgent care centers. Still, she did not take Rosie in. Rosie did not receive care until after my name was removed from her medical record.

Her keeper prioritized erasing me from the chart over addressing Rosie’s medical needs.

Shortly after Rosie was removed, her vet records documented:

• lethargy
• acute digestive illness
• house-soiling
• anal gland and eye issues
• development of masses requiring cancer screening

None of these issues existed before separation.

This is not coincidence.

This is separation trauma and it is now part of the public record.

Rosie and I have not reunited in over a year...

No animal companion should suffer a decline in well-being because the law treats them as objects instead of family.

The Larger Problem
Illinois only considers a pet’s well-being in one narrow scenario: divorce.

Even then, the law merely requires judges to consider the animal’s well-being (750 ILCS 5/503(n)).
It does not require judges to prioritize welfare.

If you’re unmarried, domestic partnered, cohabiting, queer, or co-caregiving…

Your pet is reduced to property.

I would know:
My former partner and I submitted a notarized domestic partnership (2022) and a completed marriage license application (2024) -- both of which were entered into evidence and still, Rosie was treated as property.

Not family.
Not sentient.
Not protected.

Animals attach, rely, remember, and grieve — yet the law refuses to recognize their lived reality.

Why This Matters
This affects millions of people and animals.

• Over 40% of couples under age 40 are NOT married
• More than 50% of marriages in the U.S. eventually end in divorce, the only time well-being is considered.
• 70% of American households include pets — and many see them as family.
• Modern families look different: include cohabiting partners, LGBTQ+ partners, blended families, domestic partners, and chosen families.

Current laws assume an outdated model: two married adults. 
That is NOT how people live today.

When the law lags behind reality, living beings get hurt and Rosie is one of countless examples.

The Path Forward
I am assembling an advocacy team and drafting legislation to submit to the Illinois General Assembly after securing a sponsor. 

I am prepared to carry the load — I simply ask for your signature to show lawmakers that Illinois is ready for change.

*Legislation must evolve with the people it serves and with the animals who depend on us*

What We’re Calling For: Rosie’s Law

Rosie’s Law would:

• Treat disputes involving companion animals as custody cases, not property disputes.
• Ensure animal well-being is considered for all caregivers, not only in divorce.
• Recognize caregiving evidence (feeding, vet care, routine, attachment).
• Require consistent use of care, cost, and control to determine superior possessory interest.
• Grant legal standing to unmarried and domestic partners.

Companion animals are family.
Their well-being deserves legal protection.

Why I’m Fighting
I’m not doing this to be “right.”
I’m doing this because Rosie is Light, and her story exposes the shadows in a system that still treats love like ownership.

If no attorney will take this to the Appellate Court, I will.
But I need the power of the people — because the people are listening, even when the court didn’t.

What You Can Do: Sign the Petition
Let Rosie’s story be the catalyst for a future where companion animals are protected no matter the relationship status of the humans who love them.

• Sign this petition
• Share it with others
• Promote to expand reach
• Contact legislators to support Rosie’s Law
• Raise awareness about the gaps in pet custody laws

Our Call to Action
Let Rosie’s story be the beginning of a new standard:
one where animals are valued not as objects, but as lives with bonds and needs of their own.

Let the real work begin. 🌹

www.rosieslaw.us