Feature Article
Advocates who want to help rural cats often face a lack of resources, as well as resistance to new approaches. Laura Jordan had her work cut out for her in convincing a Connecticut community to participate in her effort to spay and neuter feral cats, having to overcome suspicion of her motives, educate property owners, and show that her methods made sense.
Feature Article
Many shelter and animal rescue staff have seen firsthand the scenes of filth and neglect at puppy mills: the cramped, dark pens housing terrified animals; the lack of food, fresh water, or veterinary care. Rescues are often the culmination of months of preparation, and, when they happen, they're a methodical step toward putting one of an estimated 10,000 puppy mills in the U.S. out of business.
Scoop
A giant heart in the meadowlands
Firefighter cares for felines at New Jersey sports complex
Another myth bites the dust
The ASPCA looks into the pets-as-gifts phenomenon and finds little to fear
For exotic cats, a happier home
But Big Cat Rescue would really like to put itself out of business
High volume, low cost, big impact
Spay/neuter clinic reduces intake at Mississippi shelter
Miracle on O'Farrell street
San Francisco SPCA teams with Macy's to showcase adoptable pets
Mutterings
A round-up of fun, inspiring news tidbits from the animal welfare world.
Worth every scent
Working cats send rats packing
101 Department
Everyone who works in shelters or rescues knows pets who linger without snagging an adopter: the older Shih Tzu who needs medication; the shy mutt, one among many; the umpteenth black kitty who's overlooked in favor of flashier felines. They need extra help finding homes, and what's required is some good PR and a little creativity.
Healthy Perspectives
Everyone's heard the old maxim that you can't take care of anyone else unless you take care of yourself. The fact that this is uncomfortable for many of us doesn't make it less true. The ability to validate our own hard work and successes is one of the most effective ways to stay resilient in the animal welfare field. Learn some useful techniques to give yourself a much-deserved pat on the back.
Life Preservers
Australia's animal shelters face many of the same companion animal issues as their North American counterparts. The Animal Welfare League of Queensland found itself in a unique position to tackle the challenges of an entire city, creating a comprehensive model to build a broad coalition of stakeholders--and spread awareness of the problems throughout the community. With a successful track record in its own backyard, the shelter has set out to share its "Getting 2 Zero" model across the nation.
Behavior Department
Understanding dog-to-dog interaction is vital for shelters and rescues as well as dog owners and potential adopters. By determining dog sociability while dogs are in their care, shelters and rescues can create opportunities for pairing dogs in shared housing or play groups—practices that can decrease the animals’ stress if done well. Developing an understanding of how dog-social or dog-tolerant a dog is can help create the best lifestyle matches for adopters eager to take their pups to dog-friendly places.
Q&A
The ASPCA's new top dog, Matthew Bershadker, steps into the job with a solid background in working to address societal issues as well as an impressive track record of leadership.
Magazine Article
At a time of life when most people are savoring a more leisurely pace, Harold Sims of Cullowhee, North Carolina, is busier than ever and has no intention of slowing down.
Magazine Article
I came to the Humane Society of the United States in 2014 after a decade (more if you count those years I spent as a kid sitting in cat rooms and walking dogs way too big for me) overseeing operations at animal shelters. I wouldn’t say I was particularly excited about or motivated to fit policy into my daily workload of caring for homeless pets—until I worked for an animal shelter that was located in a city with breed-specific legislation, flawed policies that ban certain types of dogs based on their physical appearance.
Magazine Article
To see Teddy and Millie now—playful and friendly, outgoing and affectionate— you’d never guess what they’ve endured in their short lives. As part of an unnecessary test commissioned by Dow AgroSciences (now Corteva Agriscience), the beagles were force-fed a pesticide every day for more than seven months at a laboratory in Michigan.
Magazine Article
Vinnie Van Gogh, a reticent feline, spent four months at Dakin Humane Society before his photo appeared on the shelter’s website with the headline “The Socially Awkward Cat for the Socially Awkward Adopter.”
“Seriously all this guy requires is a couch and someone to give him his daily necessities,” the write-up by the Springfield, Massachusetts, shelter read. “Take him home, and have a perfect buddy for all those times that going out is just not worth the effort. He understands.”
Magazine Article
Two leaders in the animal welfare field, Washington, D.C.-based Humane Rescue Alliance and New Jersey’s St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center, announced a merger in early July to create what’s believed to be the first organization of its kind in the country.
As a result of this unique combination—two community-based, but regional-focused, animal welfare groups working across state borders—the joint organization has more resources to make a bigger impact in the areas it serves and beyond.
Magazine Article
If you watched the Golden Globes back in 2016, you couldn’t miss her: Collecting a Golden Globe for best actress in a television series, musical or comedy, Rachel Bloom was visibly ecstatic, motor-mouthed and breathless, practically leaping from the screen.
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