Archive for October, 2013
Sandy’s Wake Still Felt One Year Later

A year has passed so quickly, it seems, since I traveled up to the devastated New Jersey coast to conduct search-and-rescue with many of my colleagues, looking for pets left behind or roaming, as residents fled the impact zone of Hurricane Sandy. Upon entering the . . .
Judgment Day in Congress on Animal Issues

The 41 Senators and Representatives selected to serve on the conference committee for the Farm Bill met for the first time today, with opening statements from all the members. Two critical measures – one good, the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act; and one bad, the . . .
Sounding the Horn On Despicable Trophy Hunt

At the very time that the world is rallying to save the last rhinos, who are being gunned down by poachers and terror groups taking advantage of the global demand for their horns, the Dallas Safari Club is planning on auctioning an opportunity to shoot . . .
The Case of the Terrible Treats

Animal advocates have long cast a suspicious eye on the practices of the pet food industry – with talk, over the decades, about horse meat, so-called 4-D meat (dead, downed, dying, and diseased), and even the carcasses of euthanized dogs and cats from shelters as . . .
No Rest for the Whiskered

Most people go out and find a dog when they want to bring one into their life. Cats, on the other hand, typically find their new keepers. Zoe relaxes in a rare moment ofdown-time. Lisa and I got a dog from a rescue group three . . .
Off the Hook in L.A.

Today, history was made when the Los Angeles City Council voted 14-0 to prohibit the use of bullhooks and other implements that are designed to inflict pain on elephants in circuses and traveling shows. The measure would take effect in three years, covering circuses that . . .
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Orca in the Bathtub, Bullhook in the Hand

You can’t turn on CNN these days without seeing a teaser for the powerful documentary “Blackfish,” which I previewed some months ago on the blog. We should reward CNN with a big audience for this important exposé of an industry that wrongly keeps whales in . . .
Food for Thought for Consumers

This weekend, The HSUS’ board of directors met in Washington, D.C., along with our Humane Society International board colleagues and our national council and state councils, and one topic we took up was food and agriculture and the appetite that consumers have for making conscious . . .
Going Belly Up in Vegas

People sometimes ask me if HSUS opposes zoos. I say that we oppose unaccredited zoos, and that I consider the 200 or so zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to be critical allies in our fights against private citizens keeping dangerous wild . . .
The World’s Most Dangerous Band Promotes Shelter Pets

This has been a year of real progress in ending the use of carbon monoxide gas chambers in animal shelters. Texas banned chamber use on dogs and cats statewide; Mississippi and South Carolina have now closed what we believe to be their last working chambers; . . .
Dog-Tired of Puppy Mills

The vast majority of dogs currently sold in pet stores come from puppy mills. Yet nearly every time we’ve taken hidden cameras into pet stores we’ve caught owners and their personnel misrepresenting the source of the dogs – almost invariably claiming they come from “responsible . . .