Companion Animals
Evaluating The HSUS
I am pleased to report to you that Charity Navigator, one of the most recognized charity watchdog organizations, just posted its annual rating of The HSUS (specifically its finances and governance), and again gave us the highest rating of four stars. While we certainly do . . .
July 4th Celebrations, Admonitions
Tomorrow is Independence Day in the United States, and it’s a cause for celebration. Standard features of that celebration involve getting together with family or friends and watching thunderous displays of fireworks. Many of us will be awed by the sounds and surprising light patterns . . .
Independent Reports Highlight Problem with Federal Programs Related to Animal Treatment, Enforcement
We’ve seen some positive action from the federal executive agencies lately – for example, a Department of the Interior proposed listing of all chimpanzees as endangered, and a favorable U.S. Department of Agriculture announcement to close a loophole dealing with downer cows. We’ve also seen some . . .
The Beagle Has Landed
There’s a dog in my office, and she’s not a foster pet or a visitor. I adopted her on Saturday, and now she’s a cling-on. And Lisa and I are very happy about it. Spying a potential opportunity at a fire hydrant inMiddleburg, Virginia. She’s . . .
Dogs at Work
Dogs are on my mind even more than usual these days. That’s because I am dog shopping this weekend. Not through a pet store or an Internet seller, but with a local rescue group here in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. My guess is, there’s . . .
Some Broad Thoughts on Our Movement
The work of The HSUS is grounded on a couple of core principles: animals have the capacity to suffer, and we humans have the capacity to help them. We hold all the power over animals and our choices and conduct have enormous consequences for them. And it’s . . .
Dog Training
One might look at the whole of American history and see one strand of it as an expanding sphere of ethical concern for others – first, in the 18th century, a legal concern for propertied males; in the 19th century, after the Civil War, the . . .
The Real IRS Subplot
When we took on the major problems threatening millions or even billions of animals – cracking down on puppy mills, fighting intensive confinement on factory farms, confronting the government of Canada and its ghastly seal slaughter, working to eradicate dogfighting and cockfighting, and curbing the . . .
Going to Bat for People and Their Pets
The HSUS has worked for more than a half century to develop effective strategies for shelters to drive down euthanasia of healthy and treatable dogs and cats. One primary strategy has been to promote spaying and neutering, and the other, to promote adoption. A corollary . . .
They Should Get the Key to the City
Those of us who have shared our homes with a rescued pet know their loyalty runs deep. But deep enough to save someone’s life? Absolutely. This year’s Pets of Valor Award highlights just that – the lifesaving heroics of five former castaways who risked life and . . .
Puppy Mill Horror Uncovered in Mississippi
Puppy mills, by definition, come up short on animal welfare, taking moral and practical shortcuts in order to churn out dogs for the pet trade – by confining animals indefinitely, breeding them every heat cycle, and denying them proper veterinary care. But the conditions our rescue . . .
Reading is Fundamental – For Animals
Our mission statement is both clear and compelling: Celebrating animals, confronting cruelty. While the confrontation side of our work gets most of the headlines – through investigations or corporate or public policy campaigns – we never forget that animals do so much to enrich our . . .
