A humane backyard is a safe haven for wildlife—a space where animals can thrive free from pesticides, trapping and other threats.

One of the ways we are boosting animal adoptions from shelters, steadily reducing the population of homeless animals in the United States, and striking a blow against puppy mills is through our Puppy-Friendly Pet Stores Program. As part of this initiative, we work with pet stores to help them...

If you’ve been following our advocacy for dogs and cats in puppy and kitten mills, you already know that these mega-breeding facilities treat dog and cat mothers and fathers like moneymaking machines with little to no regard for their health or well-being. Thankfully, each year, more and more people...

Many people experience their first connections with animals through relationships with dogs, cats or horses. Just as these bonds are powerful and pervasive, so must our advocacy be since companion animals face myriad injustices and difficulties in the U.S. and around the world. We’ve already detailed the incredible progress made against the dog and cat meat trades in 2023, but there is much more to say on other fronts. Here are just some of the ways we created a more humane world for companion animals in the past year.

Last week, I told you the story of Ziva, a dog purchased from Petland who lived only a short time, leaving her family heartbroken and in debt. The sad reality is that Ziva’s story is only one among thousands that discredit the shameful puppy mill industry still thriving in the U.S. Our Stop Puppy...

This year has seen incredible wins for animals despite a steady onslaught of Congressional threats and agency rollbacks. On the one hand, there have been attempts to roll back protections for wild animals, like native carnivores in Alaska, and attacks on the Endangered Species Act. The U.S...

In a major win in the fight against cruel puppy mills, Illinois’ Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed the Humane Pet Store Bill (HB 1711) into law. The state’s 21 puppy-selling pet stores have 180 days from August 27, the date the bill was signed, to stop selling commercially raised puppies and kittens...

As Joe Biden and Kamala Harris head to the White House, they bring with them a proven track record of protecting animals. In past years, we have worked with both the president- and vice-president-elect to strengthen laws on wildlife, marine mammals, farm animals, and so much more, and we look...

Last December, we helped rescue three puppies who were surrendered by the American Kennels pet store in New York City in the wake of our undercover investigation. The investigation revealed that sick puppies were left to suffer or even die in the store and that the store purchased puppies from puppy...

On a recent cold and rainy Friday, Victoria, a striking 11-year-old German Shepherd, sat in a wagon, draped in a purple blanket, outside the steps of the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Victoria’s story was a telling one: she was a puppy mill breeding dog who spent nearly a...

Summer is a time of rest and relaxation for many of us, but there has been no lull in our fight to end puppy mills. We have made real progress in our campaign to stop inhumane dog breeders who mass-produce puppies for sale through third-party outlets like pet stores and online sites that allow their...

New research conducted by our Stop Puppy Mills campaign reveals that the American Kennel Club, a purebred dog registry organization that used to call itself “the dog’s champion,” has opposed more than 450 bills that aimed to help pups since 2008. What’s more, its opposition has escalated, at the...

Imagine having to work in a roadside zoo, a pet store selling puppy mill puppies, a slaughter plant or a factory farm without ever being able to show your true feelings. Would you ever be able to walk alone among hundreds of dead animals at a wildlife killing contest, surrounded by people carrying...

Disasters and other emergencies can upend everyone’s lives—human and animal. That’s why we’re celebrating great progress for animals now that the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that it will implement long-overdue requirements for contingency and disaster preparedness planning for animals...

Our seventh annual Horrible Hundred report, which we are releasing today, reveals shocking instances of neglect and mistreatment of dogs in puppy mills, including severely underweight dogs and large numbers of puppies dying mysteriously. What it also reveals is that the U.S. Department of...

A Petland in Naperville, Illinois, will have to stop selling puppies and kittens after the city council passed an ordinance Tuesday ending such sales in pet stores. This makes Naperville the 341st locality in the United States to pass such a measure. There were Petland stores in several of these...

During his years in the Senate, now-President Joe Biden supported dozens of animal welfare measures, including legislation to require dolphin-safe labeling on tuna, stop canned hunts, annually prohibit the use of taxpayer dollars to fund federal inspection and approval of meat at horse...

The Humane Society of the United States fights puppy mills on many fronts, from working with local law enforcement to rescue animals in puppy mills to urging state and federal lawmakers and federal agencies to create and improve laws that protect animals in such facilities. Today, Sara Amundson...

Our campaign to stop puppy mill cruelty just reached an important milestone with the passage of the 400th local ordinance prohibiting the sale of puppy mill puppies in pet stores. And this is something to celebrate, as it shows so many people coming together to make the world a more humane place for...