Elections /
All Elections Matter to Animals
When Al Gore took the stage in Detroit last week, it probably wasn’t much of a surprise that he would endorse Barack Obama for president. But it did surprise some people that he mentioned dogs and cats in his remarks, and that he commented on the importance of elections—even to animals.
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Big Week for Wildlife in U.S. House
Earlier this week, I wrote about several wildlife protection measures that are moving through Congress. I’m pleased to let you know that the House passed two of them in the last two days, sending the message that wild animals deserve to be shielded from the commercial industries that do them harm.
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Shooting the Messenger
Talk is abundant when it comes to climate change. But actions speak louder than words, and the actions of the Safari Club International have been downright despicable.
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No Longer Roadblocked, Natural Resources Committee Leads
Of all the committees in the U.S. Congress, the House Committee on Natural Resources has perhaps been the most active for animals this year. This important panel handles almost all bills dealing with wildlife and the environment, and under the strong leadership of Chairman Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) and Subcommittee Chairwoman Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam), it has already advanced several major reforms to protect wild animals during this session.
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Attorneys General on the March to Stamp Out Cruelty
It has been a theme on this blog that passing good laws is not enough. We need aggressive enforcement of those laws, which requires adequate funding, training, and public awareness.
Elections /
Trading in the Briefcase for Biscuits on the Campaign Trail
When candidates are stumping on the campaign trail, it’s not uncommon for them to show up at a county fair, a parade, or any other event where people are gathered. They often make the rounds to meet with interest groups, whether it’s the realtors or the Teamsters, a women’s group or a gun club. You might run into a candidate at the YMCA, at your place of worship, or at the local feed store.
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Tragic Loss of Family Pet Highlights Danger of Poisons
I received a heart-wrenching letter last week from Brooke and Cliff Everest of Bozeman, Mont., and I’m reprinting it below in its entirety. Their beautiful dog, Bea, suffered a terrifying death during a hiking trip on public land in Utah, when she sniffed and licked a sheep carcass that had been laced with Compound 1080 poison.
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Shoot Down the NRA's Latest Loaded Proposal
The radical leaders of the National Rifle Association are at it again. This time they’ve set their sights on the National Park Service and have triggered a reckless about-face on the agency’s policy, seeking to allow park visitors to carry loaded weapons in national parks for the first time in a quarter-century.
Elections /
Election Wrap-Up for Animals
Last night was another exciting moment in the election season, and not just for the historic presidential race. There were several other federal and state races of interest to the Humane Society Legislative Fund and animal advocates around the country, and I’d like to provide a wrap-up of the returns.
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From Barry Bonds to Big Brown
When professional baseball players were accused of taking performance-enhancing drugs, it was a national scandal. When steroids are used in horse racing, it’s business as usual.
As The New York Times wrote in an editorial today:
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Uniting to Take Down Animal Fighting
I was delighted this week to see that a group of middle schoolers from my hometown of Buffalo, N.Y., was honored for the anti-dogfighting rap song they entered in The Humane Society of the United States’ Hip Hop for Hounds contest.
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Signs of Progress in Annapolis
Last week, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley signed a bill that will help animal shelters in the Free State treat dogs and cats more humanely. Maryland’s previous law gave shelters access to the drugs used to euthanize animals, but not the drugs needed to sedate animals prior to euthanasia. The federal government yanked the licenses for shelters to obtain the sedatives last year, which left some animals seizing and partially awake during painful deaths, and made the process more dangerous for shelter workers.
