Elections  /  

Endorsing Kamala Harris for president, the best choice for animal advocates

Today, the Humane Society Legislative Fund endorses Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid to become the next president of the United States.

Harris’ campaign gives us an unprecedented opportunity to evaluate a presidential candidate’s substantive achievements for animals as the chief legal officer of a state, in addition to their animal protection record as a federal legislator and executive.

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Animals in Research, Equines, Farm Animals, Pets & Cruelty, Wildlife, Federal Legislation  /  

Humane scorecard rolls out: how do your federal legislators stack up?

Our annual legislative scorecard is a trusted source for evaluating the animal protection commitments of elected officials at the federal level. This preview version of our 2024 Humane Scorecard allows you to determine where your federal legislators stand now on key animal protection priorities. It also gives you a chance to encourage them to strengthen their support―and their ratings―before the 118th Congress wraps up and we publish the final version in January 2025.

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Pets & Cruelty, Federal Legislation, In the News  /  

How one dog’s tragic plight led to the Animal Welfare Act

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

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Pets & Cruelty, Federal Legislation, State Legislation  /  

The American Kennel Club is actively obstructing stronger protections for dogs

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

The American Kennel Club turns 140 years old this week. Its tagline is “For the love of all things dog.” Nothing could be more misleading.

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Elections  /  

Remember: Animals can’t vote, so yours is the one that counts. Register today!

Whether you’re looking left, right, in the middle, up, or down, the signs are clear—this is a big election year. There are significant things at stake as we prepare to elect candidates to offices at every level of government. The decisions that the successful elected officials will make every day will powerfully impact the lives of our nation’s companion animals, farmed animals, those in research and testing, and wildlife. This is an opportunity for us as a voting bloc dedicated to animal protection to make our voices heard.

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State Legislation  /  

Virginia is for animal lovers – see how your state legislator measured up on animal protection

The 2024 Virginia Humane Scorecard is now available online and clearly demonstrates that Virginia is for animal lovers. State lawmakers passed eight pieces of anti-cruelty legislation, all of which were signed into law by the Governor. Thanks to the actions of advocates and legislators, the use of bullhooks on elephants is prohibited, pet stores must now comply with federal consumer credit law, and publicly-funded animal testing facilities will be further investigated.

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State Legislation  /  

Calling all Marylanders – how did your lawmakers score on animal protection this year?

The 2024 Maryland Humane Scorecard is now available online. This year, lawmakers passed a notable victory that will prohibit travelling acts from using bears, big cats, elephants, and non-human primates in the state. We at HSLF celebrate this victory, but we also recognize that overall, we saw a lack of progress on animal issues in the 2024 session.

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Equines, Federal Legislation  /  

Could this be the end of cruel soring at Tennessee walking horse ‘Celebrations’?

By Keith Dane

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Pets & Cruelty, Federal Legislation  /  

Progress! 15 ‘Horrible Hundred’ puppy mills shut down or penalized so far this year

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

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Elections  /  

Presidential Candidate Profile: Kamala Harris’ record on animal protection

With the 2024 Democratic National Convention wrapping up in Chicago, Vice President Kamala Harris is now officially the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party. That makes this the right time to assess Harris’ record on animal protection issues. Harris has had a long political career and held offices at the local, state and federal levels in which she has had substantial opportunities to advance animal protection policies.

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Pets & Cruelty, Wildlife, Federal Legislation, In the News  /  

New HBO documentary shines light on chimps kept captive as pets

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

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Farm Animals, Federal Legislation, In the News  /  

News outlets are driving change by exposing systemic animal cruelty

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

Earlier this month, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof highlighted our society’s moral inconsistency when it comes to animals we keep as pets and love as family members, like dogs, and the animals kept and killed for food, like pigs.

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