Today is Rosie's birthday. I didn't wake up to my animal companion Rosie 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 while I worked. My clients knew her 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 taken from my life.
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. I am simply speaking the truth. I previously tried to raise these concerns, but they were not meaningfully addressed.
So 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.
Research became a legislative framework such as this and this. and eventually THIS.
That framework became HB 4540.
That gave way to my Testimony
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 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 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.
Share this message.
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.
Now I've watched it happen.
So today I'm choosing to believe that one more impossible thing might still happen too.
I love you.
Always. 🌹
Your person,
Tameer <3
#JusticeForRosie
#RosiesLaw
#BringRosieHome
#CareCounts