Found in almost every major urban, suburban and rural habitat in the 48 adjoining states, raccoons don't know that our trash cans, vegetable gardens, bird feeders and chimneys aren't for them—they’re just trying to survive. When these clever creatures take advantage of the food and shelter we...

Important considerations before getting chickens as pets

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...

Steps you can take to stop animal abuse

When we think of “aggression,” we may think of a variety of motivations and impulses deriving from our own experience as humans. Fortunately, aggression in cats is easier to make sense of and typically derives from two impulses: fear and mistrust. These are the most likely scenarios to cause fear...

By Kitty Block and Sara Amundson We are on Capitol Hill today for the swearing in of the 116 th Congress, along with Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society Legislative Fund colleagues. We’re meeting with members of Congress, old and new, and gearing up for a new session of pushing...

This year has seen incredible wins for animals despite a steady onslaught of Congressional threats and agency rollbacks. On the one hand, there have been attempts to roll back protections for wild animals, like native carnivores in Alaska, and attacks on the Endangered Species Act. The U.S...

The footage is blood-curdling. Dogs huddle together in a small, dark, filthy room, a slaughterhouse, their eyes wide with fear. On the floor are traces of fresh blood from dogs killed that same morning. A man clubs a dog repeatedly over the head to kill him, as the animal howls in pain. These...

New research conducted by our Stop Puppy Mills campaign reveals that the American Kennel Club, a purebred dog registry organization that used to call itself “the dog’s champion,” has opposed more than 450 bills that aimed to help pups since 2008. What’s more, its opposition has escalated, at the...

This time of year is a special moment in the lives of black bears. After consuming about 20,000 calories and gaining three to five pounds every day during the late summer and early fall, black bears head to their winter dens. Because bears hibernate in their dens for three to six months (depending...

The link between crimes involving cruelty to animals and human violence has been well documented and long recognized by the nation’s top law enforcement groups, including the FBI and the National Sheriffs’ Association. Now, a new report warns that animal abuse crimes could signal warning behavior...

The euthanasia of homeless companion animals in gas chambers sounds archaic and is inhumane, but the practice is still prevalent in four states—Ohio, Missouri, Utah and Wyoming—where there are fewer than a dozen such chambers in operation. That’s still too many. Since 2013, the Humane Society of the...

In the midst of a nationwide heat wave, with excessive-heat warnings and advisories in place for more than 20 states, it’s natural for those of us who care about animals to worry about their welfare and the risk of their being locked in cars. In just the last few weeks, several reports of pet...

By Kitty Block and Sara Amundson A bipartisan group of U.S. Representatives today introduced a bill to crack down on puppy mill cruelty by closing loopholes in the law that allow problem breeders with severe and multiple Animal Welfare Act violations to continue doing business as usual. The Welfare...

Update 12/1/22: The start of the New Jersey bear hunt has been put on indefinite hold, as we, along with the Animal Protection League of New Jersey and Friends of Animals, challenge the decision to hold the hunt in court. In a stunningly shortsighted and ill-advised decision, New Jersey officials...

You may have seen in the news that our Animal Rescue Team was approached by the U.S. Department of Justice to remove roughly 4,000 beagles from a breeding facility that supplied laboratories that test on animals. We are honored to have been chosen to lead this historic effort and to coordinate the...

Three years ago, Americans were stunned to learn that puppies and adult dogs were being subjected to gruesome surgeries, induced heart attacks and other invasive procedures, and then being euthanized, as part of taxpayer-funded medical experiments being carried out at the McGuire Medical Center in...

New Jersey has made history by becoming the first state in the country to ban the use of numerous wild animal species, including elephants, tigers, lions, bears and primates, in circuses and traveling shows. Governor Phil Murphy today signed into law a measure that recognizes both the animal welfare...

Update! The U.S. Senate has just voted to approve the Farm Bill by a vote of 87 to 13. The bill did not include the dreaded King amendment that had the potential to nullify important state and local laws protecting animals, but senators approved three key measures that benefit companion animals. The...

Each year, trophy hunters and trappers kill around 2,000 of Colorado’s bobcats, either for fun or to sell their furs overseas, usually in Russian and Chinese markets. The animals are hunted down with radio-collared dogs and shot at point-blank range, or they are trapped in cage traps with no...