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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State Legislation  /  

The 2024 Colorado Scorecard is here, and we’re asking—did your lawmakers pass or fail on animal protection?

This November, there are 83 legislative seats up for election in Colorado's legislature. Coloradans will vote to elect their entire State House and half of their State Senate—where decisions are made daily that affect the welfare of animals. Your decisions at the ballot box determine the future of our fight to protect animals in the state.

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State Legislation  /  

Calling all Iowans—the Iowa Humane Scorecard is here! Did your legislators make the grade?

For the first time, we are pleased to share our 2024 Iowa Humane Scorecard, which takes a look at the votes of the 2023-2024 legislative sessions. Here you can learn what actions your lawmakers took, and what issues they failed to support, in our fight to protect animals in Iowa.

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Animals in Research, Federal Legislation  /  

Funding bill could grant $30 million to support monkey experimentation

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

In so many respects, scientific and technological innovation has defined this era—so it is nothing less than absurd that taxpayer dollars still fund animal experiments when non-animal approaches that could yield far better results for human health exist. That’s why we push to take the suffering out of science by, among other things, advocating for changes in how taxpayer funding is spent.

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