By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

At midnight last night, the U.S. federal government shut down because Congress failed to pass funding legislation for the government in the new fiscal year, which begins October 1. When a shutdown occurs, “non-essential” federal workers are furloughed, which means they are placed on temporary leave in accordance with agency contingency plans. Some workers remain to continue operations deemed “essential,” typically working without pay until the federal government reopens.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

Update August 1, 2025: The Senate passed the FY 2026 federal funding bill for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration with a bipartisan vote of 87-9. The bill awaits further action in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Right now, Congress is acting on its FY 2026 appropriations bills to provide funding and direction to federal agencies, and we are campaigning hard to help the countless millions of animals whose fate depends on this process.  

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

Macey Mullins bought a little Jack Russell terrier from a Petland store in Ohio in 2020. According to Mullins, when she purchased the dog, she was assured that the dog was healthy, had been examined by a veterinarian and had come from a responsible, small-scale breeder. Mullins named her new dog June. Shortly after they arrived home, June seemed constantly thirsty and was urinating excessively, Mullins said, and when she followed up with Petland, Petland claimed this was normal puppy behavior.  

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

There are leaders in the U.S. Congress stepping up to meet the need for enhanced Animal Welfare Act enforcement through the Better Collaboration, Accountability, and Regulatory Enforcement (CARE) for Animals Act.

There’s a new chance to strengthen the Animal Welfare Act’s enforcement in the U.S., and such progress cannot come soon enough for animals currently languishing in facilities such as research laboratories, roadside zoos and puppy mills that aren’t meeting minimal standards of care.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

Our fight to end puppy mill cruelty has reached a milestone well worth celebrating: 500 localities across the U.S. have banned the sale of puppy mill puppies in pet shops.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

At a property in Illinois buzzing with hundreds of flies, a water bucket stood empty in an enclosure where three puppies were living. When the bucket was finally refilled, a federal inspector observed the puppies as they desperately “climbed on top of each other trying to get water.” At another breeder’s property in Iowa, state inspectors found dogs who were limping and dogs with matted fur living in a “nearly overwhelming” odor of waste.