We received the sad news today that Buddy, the first dog in the United States known to have contracted the novel coronavirus, passed away on July 11. We share in the grief Buddy’s family is no doubt feeling over the loss of their beloved companion during what already is an extremely stressful time...
In a sweeping victory, San Antonio, Texas, voted last night to prohibit the sale of commercially raised puppies and kittens in pet stores. The city is home to one Petland and three other puppy-selling stores, and it has been a focal point in our work to end the sales of puppy mill dogs. San Antonio...
This week, we presented the Russell & Burch Award to Dr. Donald Ingber, a professor at Harvard University and the founding director of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard. Dr. Ingber is one of the pioneers behind the development of organ-on-a-chip technology, which is...
The Humane Society of the United States and its partners are back on the ground for the second round of Spayathon for Puerto Rico, an ambitious project that aims to provide free spay, neuter and vaccination services to 30,000 dogs and cats in the commonwealth over 12 months. The first round in June...
The Senate Committee on Appropriations today released a package of 12 appropriations bills for fiscal year 2021, and it is a mixed bag for animals. The House has already approved its appropriations bills, which fund federal government agencies, and they include significant protections for animals...
Shenzhen has become the first city in mainland China to ban the consumption of dog and cat meat, marking one of the biggest wins yet in the global battle to end the dog meat trade. This is China’s fifth largest city. Although not itself a major center for dog and cat meat consumption, Shenzhen is...
As 2018 draws to a close, so too does the 115th Congress. Each year, the federal team at our affiliate Humane Society Legislative Fund pushes hard to advance legislation that protects animals, and this year, we saw strong progress. Notably, in the Farm Bill signed last week by President Trump, we...
Despite a steep decline in our government’s oversight of businesses like puppy mills, our own work to shut down these ruthless enterprises that profit from the suffering of innocent animals continues to charge ahead. I am thrilled to report that just since the release of our seventh annual Horrible...
Wednesday was freedom day for Pearl, the Weimaraner rescued from a North Carolina puppy mill, whose emaciated condition after her rescue, with every rib in her body showing, shocked so many of you when we first featured her on this blog. Last week we shared the good news that the miller responsible...
State and federal inspections of puppy mills have been scaled back or, in some cases, have ground to a halt during the pandemic. As a result, dogs in these operations have been left without the most basic protections under the law. This is even more disturbing because dog sales in pet stores have...
A dangerous bill in Iowa threatens to undo decades of progress for animals in the state, including dogs suffering in puppy mills and wild animals in traveling exhibits. The bill, SF 483, introduced by Sen. Dan Zumbach, ostensibly seeks to prevent cities and counties from enacting any local laws that...
Newlyweds Megan and Tim Madden were looking to grow their family when they saw a soft-coated wheaten terrier in one of Petland’s targeted Instagram advertisements. It was love at first sight. But when the Maddens met the dog—who they later named Chewie—at the store, they say he appeared to be acting...
We are making great progress every day in our fight to end the dog meat trade and I have two major developments to share with you today from countries that have been the focus of some of our most important work. Yesterday, South Korean authorities shut down one of their country’s largest dog meat...
Last week, Delta Airlines announced it would ban pit-bull-type dogs from flying in the cabin as service and assistance animals. In doing so, the airline is overlooking the fact that there is no evidence that a particular breed of dog bites more than another. And it is creating a hurdle for people...