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 people experience their first connections with animals through relationships with dogs, cats or horses. Just as these bonds are powerful and pervasive, so must our advocacy be since companion animals face myriad injustices and difficulties in the U.S. and around the world. We’ve already detailed the incredible progress made against the dog and cat meat trades in 2023, but there is much more to say on other fronts. Here are just some of the ways we created a more humane world for companion animals in the past year.
I’ve talked about access to care as a defining animal welfare issue of our time: Everyone caring for a companion animal deserves and should be able to obtain necessary resources for their animal’s health and wellbeing. And certainly, the absence of resources shouldn’t mean that people shouldn’t experience the profound joy and love the bond with a pet can bring.
From Rin Tin Tin to Lassie and Benji, the movies have long celebrated and reaffirmed the strength of the human-animal bond and the joy that companion animals bring to our lives. In this cherished tradition, a new movie that hits theaters tonight honors an even more special relationship – the bond...
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...
By Kitty Block and Sara Amundson Thousands of tigers, lions, leopards and other big cats are kept in private homes and poorly run exhibits across the United States. These wild and dangerous animals are forced to spend their lives in inhumane conditions, locked up in small cages that are as far from...
Millions of renters in the U.S. have pets, but pet restrictions is a primary barrier for many in securing housing. We are sponsoring a bill, AB 2216, with Assemblymember Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, that would create better to access rental housing in California by prohibiting blanket pet bans and requiring landlords to have reasonable justification for not allowing a pet in a rental unit. The bill would also prohibit landlords from charging additional pet rent and fees, one more way in which it supports more pet inclusive options for tenants.
Each year, millions of homeless pets enter U.S. shelters and approximately two million dogs and cats are euthanized. This is a huge improvement since the 1970s when it was closer to 15 million, but it’s still too many. That’s why ending pet homelessness is a key goal for the Humane Society of the...
As mom to an animal-loving daughter, it warms my heart to see stories of children who are working to make the world a better place for animals. We have all seen these on social media or maybe in our own homes and neighborhoods – children who ask for donations to animal shelters instead of birthday...
In India right now, the latest Covid-19 surge is having an overwhelming impact on the country’s people and infrastructure. Our supporters from around the world have reached out to express their concern for our team at Humane Society International/India. Alokparna Sengupta, India managing director...
When KC Pet Project took on the operations of the Kansas City, Missouri, animal shelter eight years ago, the brand-new organization had a formidable task ahead. For many years the shelter had been euthanizing between 50 and 70% of the nearly 7,000 pets who came in through its doors each year. But...
In recent years, new research has changed traditional advice around how to help cats found outside. Some of the cats may have homes and know how to reach them. Some may be “community cats” cared for by several local families, and their home is exactly where they are. These cats, especially when they...