Along with the Best Friends Animal Society, we ask you to contact your congressional representatives and urge them to vote YES on the PUPS bill. Currently, the Animal Welfare Act requires only that commercial dog breeders have a U.S. Department of Agriculture license to sell wholesale to pet stores and brokers. If puppies are sold […]
Animal Welfare
For lovers of animals, animal welfare is an important issue. Cruelty and negligence toward animals is the norm rather than the exception. Animals are mistreated on farms, in the wild, in laboratories and in industries which profit from animal abuse.
Most countries recognize that animals have the right to “Five Freedoms” which were first proposed in the United Kingdom in the 1960s:
- Freedom from Hunger and Thirst
- Freedom from Discomfort
- Freedom from Pain, Injury or Disease
- Freedom to Express Normal Behavior
- Freedom from Fear and Distress
Promotion of animal welfare can be on many levels. First, there is the legislative level. Laws already exist which prevent certain types of animal cruelty but there is still much to be done. Public campaigns are also important, to convince the public to treat animals humanely and not support those who don’t. On the individual level, volunteering at an animal shelter or animal welfare organization can do a world of good. Getting involved in conservation is also a positive action.
Animal Welfare ArticlesMore
Activists
- When euthanasia goes wrong
- Famous Animal Rights Activists
- Nathan J. Winograd
- Help Animals – Support These Sites
Wildlife Welfare
- HSUS Report on Orca Shows
- The Exotic Pet Industry and Animal Welfare
- Why Do People Keep Wild Animals as Pets?
- Ohio Prohibits Wild Animals as Pets
General Animal Welfare Articles
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Nitro’s Law
Nitro’s Law, H.B. 108, has been reintroduced to Ohio’s House of Representatives. Nitro’s Law amends an existing law protecting animal companions. It allows prosecutors, at their discretion, to charge kennel owners with a felony, bringing stronger penalties, instead of the present misdemeanor. Kennel owners will be charged for failing to provide basic necessities and/or inflicting […]
News – Missouri’s Prop B
The HSUS, ASPCA and Best Friends Animal Sanctuary believe a compromise reached by 2 Missouri animal welfare groups and puppy mill associations does not adequately protect breeding dogs and their puppies. The new language is vague and unclear, weakening the proposals in Prop B. Prop B – breeding females rest at least every 3rd cycle. […]
News – California Bill
Governor Arnold Schwarzennegger vetoed a California bill to prevent landlords from requiring tenants to declaw their cats. The bill asked that a $2500 fine be levied for each time declawing or devocalitzation is required in a landlord-tenant agreement. Landlords would not have been allowed to advertise, discouraging owners whose pets are not declawed or devocalized. […]
New in the News about Crush Videos
New from the ASPCA: On Wednesday, July 21st, the U.S. House of Representatives voted almost unanimously to pass H.R. 5566, the Prevention of Interstate Commerce in Animal Crush Videos Act of 2010. Congress will soon recess for the summer, but hopefully a companion bill will be introduced in the Senate in September. It is vital […]
N.Y. Legislators for Animal Welfare
News from the No Kill Advocacy Center: New York State Senator Joseph Robach and Assembly Member Micah Kellner have introduced legislation called the Companion Animal Adoption and Rescue Act, CAARA (Senate Bill S05363A). CAARA addresses the following: Makes it illegal to kill an animal if qualified rescue groups are willing to save it; Ends “convenience” […]
Morris Animal Foundation
The Morris Animal Foundation was established in 1948 by veterinarian Dr. Mark L. Morris Sr., a humanitarian and animal health pioneer. Devoted to animal health and welfare, Dr. Morris was one of the first veterinarians to recognize how diet can control disease. Buddy, one of the first guide dogs in the U.S., had another first […]
Legislative Year in Review for Animal Cruelty Issues
According to the ASPCA blog…Hard work by legislators, the animal welfare community and animal advocates helped bring many wonderful state-level bills over the finish line in 2009. Many states continued to pass anti-animal fighting laws, multiple states passed laws to restrict tethering, increase penalties for intentional acts of animal cruelty and allow pets to be […]
Latest Update on Missouri’s Prop B
The Governor of Missouri has signed SB113, repealing Prop B, the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act. Prop B was approved by voters in November, 2010. The new bill significantly weakens the provisions in Prop B as the effort of puppy mill owners and the agricultural industry in Missouri has intended. The agricultural business in other […]
HSUS Ranks States on Animal Welfare
The HSUS has ranked states on their roles in animal welfare for 2011. Here are the results. California comes in Number One. The state has enacted nearly a dozen new laws in 2011 for the welfare of animals. New Jersey and Oregon tied for 2nd place and Illinois and Massachusetts tied for 4th place. The […]