Archive for July, 2014
Red Nor Blue: United We Stand for Dogs and Cats
Are we a cat nation or a dog nation? It’s, of course, more of a mixed situation, with a good number of households, like mine, having representatives from both camps. But as The Washington Post reports, there are some geographic variances at work in our . . .
Prejudice and Pit Bulls
Dogs have a great capacity to forgive and forget. It’s a characteristic on display in so many cases where dogs have been dealt a terrible blow or bad hand from callous people. Despite their experiences, animals who’ve known only hardship so often come to trust again in . . .
Right to Know, Wrong to Sow
This morning, I awoke to unseasonably cool weather in Washington, D.C. As the day progressed, we got a different kind of cool – the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a blow to the National Pork Producers Council’s efforts to keep consumers in the dark . . .
Show Me the Money: Corporate Ag Bankrolling Missouri’s Amendment 1
The people who tried a full-on repeal of Prop B – the 2010 voter-approved ballot measure to crack down on cruelty to dogs in a state that had become notoriously known as the puppy mill capital of the United States– are now trying to pull . . .
Updates on Urgent Battles for Animals
Today, some updates on important issues in our orbit. Ag-gag legislation Our investigations like this one at a California slaughter plant have unearthed shocking animal abuse. Photo: The HSUS Last night, former HSUS undercover investigator Cody Carlson and I appeared on PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton . . .
Time to Make a Racket About Ractopamine in U.S. Pigs
If you have any doubt about the contempt that some leaders within the pork industry have for their own customers – to say nothing of the pigs locked in gestation crates – the dispute over a dangerous animal drug named ractopamine should dispel it. On . . .
The True Cost of the Doggie in the Window
Every year, 40,000 homeless dogs pass through the doors of Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, the most populous county in Arizona. That’s more than 3,330 dogs a month and almost 110 dogs each day. The influx of Chihuahuas and Chi mixes alone is so . . .
Houston, We Have a Problem – With Bird Poisoning
Images of distressed birds writhing, seizing and flopping their wings, broadcast last week on Houston television, were tough for the public to see. Photographers for KHOU-TV recorded this horror show at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) after a contractor hired by airport authorities, in cooperation with . . .
Every Field of Humane Work – Everywhere
*An earlier version of this post incorrectly said that nearly 50 counties and cities have laws against puppy mills. This version has been corrected. Nearly 50 counties and cities have outlawed the sale of puppies in pet stores. Given that it’s our 60th year, and . . .
Testing Our Humanity and Ingenuity on Animal Testing
Every year, 20 million animals – a number so big it's hard to wrap your mind around it – are used worldwide in chemical studies, causing immense suffering and pain. But this week the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) issued new, updated guidance . . .
Bear Baiters Spread Doughnuts, False Claims, and Fear in Maine
In today’s Bangor Daily News, Maine hunter Joel Gibbs upends the simplistic framing coming from a vocal segment of bear trophy hunters in the Pine Tree State about Question 1 on the November ballot. Maine is the only state that allows baiting, hounding and trapping . . .
Frankendeer, Captive Hunts, and Captive Politicians
We know that Washington lobbyist and PR operative Rick Berman has shilled for seal clubbers, puppy millers, elephant abusers in the traveling circus industry, and all sorts of factory farming interests. His career portfolio also includes folks who peddle tobacco to teens, enable drunk drivers, promote . . .
