When you’re a passionate animal welfare advocate, you might sometimes feel like a bit of an outsider. Friends, family members and co-workers who don’t share your passion might not grasp why you spend your weekends trapping community cats to get spayed or neutered. Or why you foster animals from the...
Every day, I share on this blog news about the progress we are making for animals. I am grateful to the thousands of readers who like, share, comment on the posts, support us with your donations and take action to make the world a better place for animals. Today, I want to share with you the blogs...
When sheriff’s office deputies entered Tree of Life Kennels in Sumner County, Kansas, last month they were shocked at what they saw—and smelled. Dozens of dogs, including golden retrievers, French bulldogs, terriers and other breeds, were found in filthy and decrepit living conditions, many of them...
Sweltering heat. Cramped, filthy crates. Days of confinement. These are the conditions puppies caught up in the puppy-mill-to-retail-sale pipeline often experience. Last month, a Texas Department of Public Safety officer found 28 French bulldog puppies packed tightly in plastic crates in a moving...
A recent industry publication paints a grim picture for the future of puppy mills, after several hundred localities and three states have banned the sale of puppies in pet stores in recent years. According to a report from IBIS World, a market research firm, fewer pet stores selling puppies led to a...
In a sweeping victory, San Antonio, Texas, voted last night to prohibit the sale of commercially raised puppies and kittens in pet stores. The city is home to one Petland and three other puppy-selling stores, and it has been a focal point in our work to end the sales of puppy mill dogs. San Antonio...
As 2018 draws to a close, so too does the 115th Congress. Each year, the federal team at our affiliate Humane Society Legislative Fund pushes hard to advance legislation that protects animals, and this year, we saw strong progress. Notably, in the Farm Bill signed last week by President Trump, we...
Despite a steep decline in our government’s oversight of businesses like puppy mills, our own work to shut down these ruthless enterprises that profit from the suffering of innocent animals continues to charge ahead. I am thrilled to report that just since the release of our seventh annual Horrible...
Wednesday was freedom day for Pearl, the Weimaraner rescued from a North Carolina puppy mill, whose emaciated condition after her rescue, with every rib in her body showing, shocked so many of you when we first featured her on this blog. Last week we shared the good news that the miller responsible...
State and federal inspections of puppy mills have been scaled back or, in some cases, have ground to a halt during the pandemic. As a result, dogs in these operations have been left without the most basic protections under the law. This is even more disturbing because dog sales in pet stores have...
A dangerous bill in Iowa threatens to undo decades of progress for animals in the state, including dogs suffering in puppy mills and wild animals in traveling exhibits. The bill, SF 483, introduced by Sen. Dan Zumbach, ostensibly seeks to prevent cities and counties from enacting any local laws that...
Tennessee has a huge puppy mill problem and no law to fight these operations that mistreat the dogs they profit off. Just over the past year we have heard of several puppy mill rescues, including two—one in Grundy County last month and another in Madison County last June—where hundreds of dogs were...
We’re devoted to ending the worst forms of systemic animal suffering by working with corporations—and while we’ve had some immense wins, some companies refuse to listen to calls for change. A fascinating discussion on our corporate policy work took place on our Humane Voices podcast, which came out...
The pursuit and promotion of humane business models for pet stores carries so much promise in our work, and we’re gaining ground in our campaign to halt the sale of puppy mill puppies in retail settings. To date, 300 local governments—cities, towns and counties—of all sizes and demographics across...
It truly gave me a lift to watch the Weather Channel’s two-part feature on our animal rescue work ( here and here). I’m immensely proud of my Animal Rescue Team colleagues. I am also grateful to them, and I admire them for their courage, compassion and calm in the face of emergencies that upend the...
In recent years, we’ve made incredible progress for dogs in puppy mills by raising broad awareness of their plight and by advocating for the passage of local ordinances and state laws that prohibit the sale of puppies in pet shops. Fighting this progress are those who benefit from selling dogs in...