The Democratic leaders on the Senate Committee on Appropriations yesterday released a package of nine appropriations bills funding various federal departments for fiscal year 2022, and it contains some key provisions for animal welfare that we worked hard to secure. These bills haven’t been voted on by the committee; instead, the Senate and House committees will now work to reconcile their respective packages by a December 3 deadline to avoid a federal government shutdown.

Our mission is to end suffering for all animals, most directly by boosting the political power of the humane movement in Washington, DC and in our states. This is just one of the reasons we encourage supporters to cast a ballot in every election. Perhaps because we take a range of concerns into the voting booth, we don’t always appreciate the point, but for animals, our election of the right candidates can be a make-or-break decision.

The winning trainer/rider of the World Grand Championship class at this year’s Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration, John Allen Callaway, recently served a federal disqualification for the “soring” of horses—a distinction also shared by his brother Bill and at least three other riders in the seven horse class. Together, they are the poster children for the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act, H.R. 5441, reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives today with almost half the U.S. House of Representatives already onboard.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

Hawaiian spinner dolphins, named for their acrobatic displays like leaping out of the water and spinning in the air, are nocturnal. To make it harder for sharks to detect them, they hunt for food and socialize at night. During the day, they rest in sheltered coves—safe from sharks and other ocean dangers. Because dolphins must be conscious in order to breathe, in these coves they still swim and breathe slowly while doing their version of “napping.”

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