It seemed like a good idea at the time: Buy a house with a two-acre property, let our energetic herding dog have the run of the place and spend blissful summer days digging side by side in the dirt with her. And it was blissful, watching Mattie carve out her napping spots behind the ferns and tall...

We zigzag from tree to tree, seeking refuge under the leaf umbrellas. Drizzle turns to deluge as we dash beneath a tall canopy to plot our escape. The sky booms. My dad takes my hand, and I look up to see if he shares my sense of foreboding. But he’s smiling at me, his eyes twinkling. He says...

Every morning, the teams at Black Beauty Ranch spread out across 1,400 acres to care for the nearly 650 animals who call the sanctuary home. It’s not an easy task. The sanctuary is home to around 40 species, meaning caregivers need a high level of knowledge about all sorts of animals. Insights into...

The Humane Society of the United States has released its annual Horrible Hundred report, which exposes violations or concerns at 100 puppy mills to educate the public about conditions prevalent in breeding operations throughout the country. Researchers combed through inspection records from state...

SAN DIEGO—San Diego Humane Society and the Humane Society of the United States urge Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign Senate Bill 879 to end unnecessary toxicological testing on dogs and cats. SB 879, the Prohibiting Extraneous Testing (PET) Act, will ban needless toxicity testing on dogs, like the 108...

Sixty-two dogs were living on the Las Vegas, New Mexico, property when our Animal Rescue Team arrived in March to assist in rescuing them. They were found outdoors on frozen ground littered with broken glass, wires and other debris. Kirsten Peek, HSUS media relations manager, was present that day...

The Humane Society of the United States is the sole party responsible for coordinating the removal of approximately 4,000 beagles housed at a facility which bred dogs to be sold to laboratories for animal experimentation. The transfer plan was approved by the United States District Court for the...

Yesterday, the Humane Society of the United States and several shelter and rescue partners embarked on a historic operation and removed the first 432 out of approximately 4,000 beagles at Envigo RMS LLC’s facility in Cumberland, Virginia, which bred dogs to be sold to laboratories for animal...

Editor's note: This release has been updated to reflect the final count of animals removed from the property. The Humane Society of the United States is assisting the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office with the rescue of approximately 250 dogs and puppies as part of an alleged cruelty case at two...

You’d think it would be easy to persuade people to protect prairie dogs: Not only are they a keystone species, with nine other species directly dependent on them for survival, but they’re also irresistibly cute, with big eyes and big personalities. Yet the personable little rodents often find...

The scene was as grim as it gets: dozens of dogs confined to dilapidated hutches, leaking in the pouring rain, and dozens more— nearly 140 in all—crammed into filthy campers and a single mobile home. They cowered in groups, big dogs and small, some nearly hairless from skin conditions, others...

How to spur wildlife-friendly projects in your community.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek signed bills to stop the sale of puppy mill puppies and kittens in pet stores (HB 2915) and to end the sale of animal-tested cosmetics (HB 3213). Kotek also recently signed a package of housing bills that included funding for domestic violence and homeless shelters to better...

Many Marches ago, as I mindlessly contorted myself to pull a deep-rooted weed from the garden patch, my thoughts turned longingly to the smell of fresh basil that would eventually grace what I saw as a still-barren vegetable graveyard. This spot was not so lifeless as it appeared, I would soon learn...

As my neighbors and I stood 10 feet apart and swapped tips for scavenging kitchen staples this spring, the wilder residents of our community shared no such concerns. Squirrels twirled maple seed clusters like bouquets to reach every tidbit. Bumblebees made a mockery of social distancing in their...

The suspect creeping up near my front fence was a tough character—broad-leafed and thick-stemmed and threatening to invade my property and swallow it whole if I didn’t act fast. There was no hesitation that summer morning as I headed to work: Off with his head! It was a decision made all too easy by...

Pop quiz: What’s the best way to help butterflies in your backyard? If you answered “Plant butterfly bush,” you’re in good company. A recent survey of my gardening friends elicited the same response from more than a few. It’s easy to understand why: Aside from its self-reinforcing moniker, the plant...

Decaying logs and miniature bogs, hollowed stalks and piled rocks, nutritious pollen and leaves fallen: They’re not the stuff of traditional nursery rhymes and baby showers. But if wild mothers-to-be had gift registries, these natural supplies would top the list. Though the basic elements for...