An awareness of the importance of animal adoption, and animal welfare in general, thankfully has grown in many states. Whether due to the pandemic or the diligence of animal activists, people are waking up.

In Texas, for example, legislators passed a bill last summer intended to safeguard dogs that are tethered outdoors. Among the provisions: No restraint may be shorter than five times the dog's length, and shelter must be provided from inclement weather. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, however, vetoed the measure, saying it amounted to "micromanaging."

But then came the tweetstorm, with the hashtag #AbbottHatesDogs. A few months later, the governor changed his position and signed a very similar version of the bill, which takes effect this month.

In Illinois, a new law stipulates that anyone with two or more animal abuse charges is not allowed to own an animal. New Hampshire just enacted a law making it a crime to remove a tracking collar or microchip from someone else's dog.

New legislation in California requires that eggs sold for human consumption must come from cage-free chickens, while pigs must be bred with at least 24 square feet of livable space per pig. Virginia banned the testing of cosmetics on animals, the fourth state to do so. New Jersey also recently outlawed the practice. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that 500,000 animals suffer or die annually worldwide from such testing.

The next frontiers for animal advocates will be China, which slaughters more animals for food than any other nation, and India, which ranks second. The nonprofit Mercy for Animals estimates that 80% of all money raised for animal causes worldwide goes to efforts in the U.S. and Europe. The problem is that those two regions together account for only 6% of the world's animal farming.

In the U.S., the Humane Society's annual report shows significant progress in protecting animals on multiple levels. It notes, for instance, that last year, luxury retailers including Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus announced fur-free policies. The society beat back laws that would have allowed hunting bears in Connecticut, mountain lions in Oklahoma and wolves in Minnesota.

Ten years ago, I wrote a newspaper column arguing that it was a mistake to donate money to animal causes as long as so many people were hungry and desperately in need. My view has since changed. We can and should do both — and it doesn't always require cash, just caring, as Cali's Law reminds us.

The devoted animal lover Betty White, who died Dec. 31, conceded that she preferred the company of animals to humans. "Can you blame me?" she wrote. "Animals don't lie. Animals don't criticize. If animals have moody days, they handle them better than humans do."

White would have applauded a 2021 law enacted in Turkey. The measure provides possible jail sentences of between six months and four years for animal cruelty. Moreover, the law redefines animals as "living beings" rather than "commodities."

Such a perspective is one the world should embrace. Respecting all creatures with which we share the planet is probably the least we humans can do.

(c) Peter Funt. This column originally appeared in The Chicago Tribune.