Writing our annual year-end review is no easy task. We sift through mountains of data, read through reports and try to choose just a few victories that capture the incredible breadth of work we do here at the Humane Society family of organizations. This year, we’re trying something different: We...

Most cages marketed for guinea pigs are way too small. Guinea pigs need appropriate room to roam, with separate spaces for a nest, bathroom area and food and water. No animal is meant to live in a cage all the time, so make sure to provide your pig with time outside their enclosures at least once a...

Minnow It makes sense that her best friends are turkeys. Minnow spent the first five months of her life on a dog meat farm in South Korea before she was rescued by Humane Society International in 2015 and adopted by Abbie Hubbard, who worked at a Virginia shelter where the rescued dogs were flown...

Just as a historic freeze sent temperatures plummeting in Texas in February, overwhelming the state’s power grid, breaking pipes and leaving roads slick with ice, a strange call came into the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office near San Antonio. Someone said they heard an animal crying outside their...

Animal shelters and rescues are amazing! Usually with limited resources and very little publicity, they help untold numbers of animals and people. Give back by choosing one or more of the following ways to show your appreciation for the groups that do so much for animals, people and your community.

The numbers don’t tell the whole story of how HSUS disaster responders helped Florida residents after Hurricane Idalia pounded the region in late August. Before the storm hit, we coordinated and funded the transport of 75 adoptable shelter animals (60 dogs and 15 cats) to safer lodgings out of the...

As a new homeowner susceptible to sales pitches from the garden industrial complex, I spent my early planting years salivating over glossy magazine spreads exploding with color and texture and promises of endless summers. “Flower porn” was how my husband described those lushly photographed...

Contents How does the HSUS help local animal shelters and rescue groups? What if I have a concern about my local shelter or rescue? Where can I adopt a pet? How can I volunteer to help animals? I need to find a new home for my pet. Where can I turn? What is the HSUS's position on use of the gas...

All of us can make a difference for animals in our everyday lives, whether it's by adopting a pet, choosing products not tested on animals, eating a humane diet or engaging your community in animal protection issues. With so many widespread problems facing animals, it takes all of our collective...

The words might seem alarming: “Positive for FIV.” Because many people are unfamiliar with feline immunodeficiency virus, it can seem like a daunting diagnosis for potential adopters. Yet the myths and misconceptions around FIV—such as the mistaken assumption that it is a “death sentence”—might...

Contents What is the Humane Society of the United States’ Investigations Team? What do you investigate? How often do your investigations result in successful outcomes? What’s it like to be an undercover investigator? How can I become an investigator? How can I report cruelty? I work in law...

The Humane Society of the United States is assisting the Hertford County Sheriff’s Office in rescuing nearly 100 dogs and puppies in a large-scale alleged cruelty situation at a breeder’s residential property in Hertford County, North Carolina. Orange County Animal Services also assisted on-scene...

About our volunteers Animal rescue volunteers (ARVs) work with our Animal Rescue Team to help save animals who are victims of illegal animal cruelty and disasters. When we respond—whether to a hurricane, large-scale neglect case, dogfighting or commercial breeding operation—animal rescue volunteers...

Contents What is a puppy mill? What is the HSUS doing about puppy mills? Are there any laws that regulate puppy mills? There is a puppy mill in my area. How can I get the authorities to investigate and shut it down? I bought a puppy and they got sick. What can I do? Should I get a puppy or other...

Whether you’re a large shelter, a private nonprofit, a municipal agency or a small all-volunteer rescue, there are ways to help your area’s community cats. Community cats produce around 80% of the kittens born in the U.S. each year. It’s only by caring for and managing community cats that we can...

WASHINGTON—The U.S. House of Representatives just passed the Big Cat Public Safety Act (H.R. 263) by a vote of 278 to 134. The bill would prohibit keeping tigers, lions and other big cat species as pets, and ban direct public contact like cub petting. Sponsored and championed by Rep. Michael Quigley...

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...

Contents Is it possible to conduct commercial horse slaughter in a humane manner? Does horse slaughter have a negative financial impact on American taxpayers? Is horsemeat safe for human consumption? Can the federal government ensure the safety of horsemeat? Has ending domestic horse slaughter...