Archive for 2012
Story of Midnight Shows Animals’ Value in Our Lives
Animals may be vulnerable, but they need not be passive or possessed only by instinct. They have a wide range of feelings, and they can behave in altruistic ways. In the chapter on animal intelligence in my book “The Bond: Our Kinship with Animals, Our Call . . .
Conscious Consumerism: Think About the Turkey This Thanksgiving
This week and into the following one, I’m in India, where we’re continuing to ramp up the work of our affiliate, HSI India, focusing on confinement of animals on factory farms, street dog sterilization and vaccination, and eliminating animal testing for cosmetics (“Be Cruelty Free”). . . .
Cat Experts to Gather at Second HSISP Conference in December
Last year, The HSUS, under the auspices of its newly formed Humane Society Institute for Science and Policy, hosted a landmark conference called “The Purebred Paradox,” examining the effects of purebred breeding on the health and welfare of dogs. Breeding for physical characteristics, rather than for . . .
Ending Charitable Tax Deduction Will Hurt Animals
We have just ended a presidential election campaign that featured more than a little debate about class and taxes. President Obama, as we all know, argued that, with our nation’s debt growing by billions each week, the federal government should raise taxes on people who . . .
Progress for Ohio’s Puppy Mills
Today, the Ohio House of Representatives passed legislation, 89 to 5, to crack down on puppy mills. The bill is short of what we want it to be, but it marks progress, with the Senate expected to concur later this month and send it to . . .
More Work Ahead for China and Animal Welfare
Animal protection is a global cause, and the needs are urgent everywhere. But we have a longer, tougher road to travel in China than perhaps anywhere else, as Peter J. Li, Ph.D., and Michael Tobias make plain in their exchange posted recently on Forbes.com. Peter . . .
Sandy Underscores Importance of Disaster Planning
This weekend, HSUS staff members cared for nearly 500 animals at emergency shelters we're running in Monmouth and Ocean counties in New Jersey, and also in Nassau County, New York, where we’re partnering with local groups. The work underscores the physical destruction and ongoing social . . .
In Wake of Election, Time to Pass Animal Welfare Reforms
The United States has completed its always momentous quadrennial presidential election, which in this case produced spending exceeding $2 billion between the campaigns, super PACs and other outside spenders. Thousands of other races decided at the federal, state, and local levels cost billions more when aggregated. . . .
Talk Back: Sandy, Animal Rescue, and Social Media
Since Hurricane Sandy struck the East Coast more than a week ago and I began writing about our efforts to help, many of you have written to express your thoughts. With tens of thousands of people homeless in New York and New Jersey, the full . . .
Your Vote Counts for Animals
Today is an important day for any civil and democratic society, as private citizens vote, in free and fair elections, for individuals to serve our society in local, state, and federal offices, and, in some states, for initiatives or referenda relating to taxes, social issues, . . .
Search and Rescue for Pets in Storm-Torn New York and New Jersey
Yesterday, I joined our Animal Rescue Team on the ground in New Jersey, trying to provide relief to people and animals in one area within the larger Hurricane Sandy impact zone. The disaster team I connected with is stationed in Monmouth County, with its coastal towns . . .
The Confidence Man, Unmasked, and Asked to Answer to the IRS
It’s an old and familiar story, the confidence man with his bag of tricks, working his scams until the cold light of day shines and unmasks him for all to see. That’s where Richard Berman finds himself today – exposed as the black bag artist for . . .
