In the Iranian legal system, abandonment and release of pets faces a legal vacuum; existing regulations, including Article 679 of the Islamic Penal Code (Tazirat), only address intentional harm or loss and ignore the owner’s ongoing responsibility to provide for the animal’s vital needs. This vacuum has led to increased abandonment, pressure on shelters, and health and social consequences. The present study aimed to assess the feasibility of criminalizing abandonment of animals, using a descriptive-analytical method and comparative studies in the legal systems of the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union, as well as qualitative analysis of domestic data (interviews with stakeholders and review of shelter statistics). The findings indicate that current laws lack effective enforcement guarantees and require redefining owner responsibilities and setting mandatory welfare standards (food, water, shelter, treatment).The research results indicate that criminalizing abandonment of animals in Iran is not only possible but also necessary, provided that it is designed in a multifaceted model that includes criminal criminalization, complementary administrative regulations, protection for incapacitated owners, and registration and identification requirements. The adoption of a specific animal welfare law would be an optimal option to achieve this goal and fill the existing gaps