North Dakota: Vote YES! on Measure 5 to Stop Animal Cruelty

Just two decades ago, only seven states had felony-level penalties for animal cruelty (California, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin). Fortunately, there has been a steady drumbeat of lawmaking on this issue over the last 20 years, mostly led by The HSUS, HSLF, and state and local animal welfare groups, and now 48 states punish some forms of animal abuse as a felony offense, with Mississippi and Idaho being the most recent states to upgrade their anti-cruelty statutes.

Paul Ryan’s Record on Animal Welfare Issues

Since U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., was named Mitt Romney’s vice-presidential running mate a couple weeks ago, his background and policy positions are now subject to an extraordinary degree of scrutiny. While it’s been widely reported that Ryan is an avid bowhunter and a previous co-chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, not much has been said about his other animal welfare positions.

Wag the Dog: Canine Issues the Presidential Candidates Should be Talking About

The presidential campaign is in full swing, and animal lovers have surely noticed there is more talk about dogs than in previous elections: Mitt Romney’s family vacation in the 1980s in which Seamus, the Irish setter, became sick during a 12-hour trip on the roof of a station wagon; and Barack Obama’s writing that, as a child, living with his stepfather in Indonesia, he once ate

A Fin-Tastic Day at the Capitol

The Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week” wrapped up earlier this month, but yesterday was Shark Day at the California legislature. More than 100 animal advocates from across the state gathered at the capitol in Sacramento, many carrying stuffed toy sharks and wearing shark t-shirts, to advocate for A.B. 376. The legislation to ban the sale of shark fins, introduced by Assemblymembers Paul Fong, D-Cupertino, and Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, passed the Assembly in May by a vote of 65-8, and is now pending in the Senate Appropriations Committee.