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Over the past few decades, public concern for the interests of animals has grown. This concern is rooted in the capacity of animals to feel. Animal sentience research has made clear that many animals are sentient; they do experience pain and accordingly, human treatment towards them matters. State legislatures acknowledge this to varying degrees through the enactment of legislation that regulates and restricts human treatment of animals. This acknowledgement, however, is only implicit in most jurisdictions. This Article contends that the explicit recognition of animal sentience in animal welfare legislation would better serve to protect the interests of animals. In this respect, it advocates for animal welfare laws in all United States jurisdictions to expressly recognize animal sentience. While animal sentience is obvious to most humans, expressly acknowledging such in legislation will have important consequences, including implications for statutory interpretation of animal welfare legislation, providing animal welfare legislation with a scientific foundation, and promoting the intrinsic worth of animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]