By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

Some systemic cruelties toward animals can feel like intractable problems. For instance, commercial dog breeding facilities that are regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture must comply with the Animal Welfare Act. Yet, year after year and administration after administration, little has improved the grim everyday realities of the dogs in puppy mills.

Mother dogs spend their lives in cramped cages with little to no personal attention and no love at all. Overbreeding, unsanitary conditions and inadequate veterinary care mark many of the dogs for life, who suffer from serious health issues. Down the line, this can create heartbreaking challenges for families who end up with these pups.

And despite promises and good intentions from lawmakers, standards of care don’t significantly improve. Dogs continue to languish. And many breeders who have violated the Animal Welfare Act just continue to breed dogs.

This is just one example. The suffering of animals in laboratories, animals in roadside zoos, and dogs subjected to the terrible cruelties of dogfighting have been persistent problems across the U.S.

But that may be changing now.

And more coordination can’t come too soon; we know a federally coordinated government-wide approach could do amazing things for animals suffering systemic cruelties. When agencies do cooperate, historic things can happen for animals and their welfare. This was evident in a landmark case in which our Animal Rescue Team transferred nearly 4,000 beagles who had been bred or born for use in testing labs by Envigo. The case ended with a historic settlement with the largest fine ever levied for violating the Animal Welfare Act, and the dogs finding loving homes. Both the USDA and the DOJ were involved in the case.

New support from U.S. agency leads

A couple of months ago, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr. expressed support for better regulation and enforcement regarding animal cruelty, such as that seen at puppy mills and testing labs.

Now we know more about the concrete actions those agencies aim to take to prioritize animal welfare and strengthen enforcement efforts. The Department of Justice and the USDA have each committed to five next steps to better protect animals from various cruelties, including dogs and wildlife suffering from the cruelties of puppy mills and roadside zoos as well as animals in laboratories.

The USDA’s next steps for animals

The USDA recently committed to strengthening enforcement efforts against repeat and chronic offenders of the Animal Welfare Act; scaling up its investigations of people conducting unlicensed activities that involve breeding dogs; improving its inspector training; expanding its information sharing relationships with federal and state partners; and supporting the work of state and local agencies seeking to take enforcement action against dog breeders whose operations are not covered under the Animal Welfare Act.

The DOJ’s next steps for animals

The DOJ recently committed to designating and training federal attorneys for the work of prosecuting animal welfare crimes; implementing a multi-agency strategy for enhanced impact in addressing animal welfare crimes; organizing a specialized law enforcement team for search and seizure operations; and establishing a grants program for animal welfare groups and law enforcement agencies involved with the campaign against animal cruelty.

We’ve been pushing for these exact reforms

Historically, protections for animals at the federal level have been weak. The Animal Welfare Act is a foundational law, but the reality is that the federal government has done a poor job of safeguarding all types of animals in facilities covered under the Animal Welfare Act throughout the U.S. This allows chronic licensed violators to continue to place animals in harm’s way with little to no repercussions, while dealers who fail to obtain a license at all end up falling through the cracks.

That’s why we’ve found workarounds while we also advocate for change at the federal level. We expose animal abuses and cruelty to the public; lobby for needed legislation; campaign for laws at the state and local level that prohibit the sale of puppy mill puppies in pet stores, wild animals used in circuses, and public contact with and private ownership of wild animals; and support investigation and enforcement actions at all levels of government for animals from puppies to elephants.

The DOJ has also taken action in other significant cases, including those against big cat exhibitors Jeffrey and Lauren Lowe and licensed dog breeder Daniel Gingerich in Iowa who racked up 100 animal welfare violations in just six months. Congress has indicated clear support for cooperation, too, including language in the most recently passed funding package calling for the DOJ to continue coordinating with the USDA on animal cases.

You can urge the government to work together for animals

Coordination between the USDA and the DOJ is at the heart of the Better Collaboration, Accountability, and Regulatory Enforcement (CARE) for Animals Act. This bill, which we have been championing, would give the DOJ more tools to hold Animal Welfare Act violators accountable and complement USDA actions, including the ability to pursue license revocations, civil penalties and, where appropriate, the use of seizure/forfeiture in cases in which animals are suffering because of evident animal welfare violations.

Help animals in roadside zoos, puppy mills and labs >>

There are always some additional areas where federal agencies need to go further. The standards of care for dogs in puppy mills just aren’t high enough. Right now, dogs bred in facilities throughout the United States only get bare-minimum protections. In the wake of the recent announcement, we’re urging the USDA to significantly raise these standards, including veterinary checkups before breeding, more space and access to exercise, and meaningful socialization interactions with humans.

Encourage the USDA to protect dogs in puppy mills!

We also want to make sure any changes are permanent. That’s why we support the Puppy Protection Act, which would lead to permanent improvements for dogs in USDA-regulated facilities no matter what administration or party is in office.

Coordination isn’t just important at the federal level—state and local partners must be involved. In 2025, we worked alongside local authorities in Florida, South Carolina and Indiana to rescue nearly 200 dogs from suspected dogfighting operations. This work leaves no doubt about just how important it is when federal partners, state partners, local partners and animal protection organizations work together.

We’ve long said that showing compassion for animals whose lives are caught up in our political and economic systems should be a nonpartisan issue. Too often it becomes more complicated and corrupted by various special interests. And now is the time to prove that we are the kind of society that can show compassion for the animals at the mercy of our choices. 

Kitty Block is CEO and president of Humane World for Animals.