On July 7th, the Humane Society of the United States and the United Egg Producers announced an agreement by which the two traditional adversaries will jointly recommend that Congress pass new standards for the welfare of egg-laying hens. So how does this legislation fit into the broader scheme of federal animal protections?

Peter Bower of Shelby, Ohio, was arrested on May 18th, 2011, and charged with two counts of animal cruelty after allegations that he had sex with three companion dogs and possibly a horse owned by a local equestrian center.

Despite a huge effort to encourage Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker to use his line-item veto power to exclude an unnecessary animal cruelty loophole provision from the state budget, Walker signed the budget on June 26th, 2011, with the provision as written.

Convicted abusers may now be kept from residing with animals for up to 15 years.

Abusers Beware – Your Punishment Can Now Fit Your Crime

Get your free copy today!

Plaintiffs Protest Cruelty at the Zoo and the Use of City Funds to Support Facilities, Practices that Violate Animal Protection Laws

Since 2003, the Animal Legal Defense Fund has been working on various proposals to ensure that animals may be fully protected within Oregon's domestic violence protective orders (or "restraining orders").

As temperatures sky-rocket all over the country, we are seeing more and more headlines about dogs left in parked cars. Dogs in parked cars are at extreme risk in hot weather; an enclosed car heats up in minutes, and the heat can be lethal.

This week, two Animal Legal Defense Fund attorneys published a first-of-its-kind book, A Worldview of Animal Law, which analyzes legal protections for animals from a global perspective.

Download the full copy of ALDF's Animal Protection Laws of the United States of America and Canada new edition or instantly view individual jurisdictions on our interactive map.

Second in the Country to Adopt a Registry

Quebec and Nunavut Ranked Worst for Animals, Ontario Takes Top Honors in Animal Legal Defense Fund’s 2011 Report

A new study released by the Animal Legal Defense Fund underscores the often-considerable differences that exist between the animal protection laws of the provinces and territories.

Suffolk County, NY adopts law to help prevent abusers from purchasing, adopting pets

In Hawaii, Peacock "Pests" May Still be Killed, Just Not with Baseball Bats, and Attending a Dogfight Becomes a Felony; Florida Slated to Finally Criminalize the Sexual Assault of Animals

On April 9th, Congressional Democrats and Republicans alike hailed a "historic" last-minute accord to pass a federal budget and avert a government shutdown. In doing so, both sides did something else historic. They agreed to throw wolves, and one of our nation's proudest and most successful animal protection laws, the Endangered Species Act, under the bus.

Pennsylvania residents: please make a brief, polite call to your state senator and ask support for Senate Bill 626, to finally ban pigeon shoots.

In Ctr. for Biological Diversity v. United States Fish & Wildlife Serv., 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2349 (C.D. Cal. Jan. 8, 2011), a challenge was brought to a decision of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, which was made under the authority of the Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq., regarding the "kangaroo rat" and his "critical habitat."

Your help is needed today to pass "Cooney's Law" SB 223 and make certain acts of animal cruelty a felony on the first offense!

Great news from Baton Rouge, where Judge Michael Caldwell has ruled in favor of the Animal Legal Defense Fund and Louisiana taxpayers in our lawsuit to free Tony the Tiger from the Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete, Louisiana.

Tough new laws will protect sled dogs and other animals.

It is always good to hear when people are working on behalf of the animals, giving a voice to the voiceless. Here is a recent smattering of updates.

Despite passage of the "Humane Shelter Law," many Kentucky counties are treating the animals in their care with reckless disregard for the suffering that they are causing.

Help put an end to dogfighting and create strong laws for animals so criminals who use animals for fighting receive meaningful sentences.

AB 376 seeks to outlaw the practice of using shark fins to make the Chinese delicacy, shark fin soup. The bill has the support of conservationists, scientists and environmental groups, as well as sport and commercial fishermen.

A little over a year ago, we launched our national campaign -- ExposeAnimalAbusers.org -- to raise awareness and garner support for the adoption of animal abuser registry laws across the country.

On Feb. 24, the Guam Legislature voted unanimously to pass Senate Bill 9 which dramatically strengthens the territory's laws protecting animals. Once the bill is signed into law, Guam will finally join the list of U.S. jurisdictions with felony animal abuse penalties.

From an animal rights perspective, no single legislative accomplishment has filled me with such gratification as the unanimous adoption of my animal abuser registry (also known as "Justin's Law").

Today's daily action for National Justice for Animals Week is: sign petitions and speak out to lawmakers.

The veterinarian told us Justin was rescued "just in time" after the Suffolk County, New York SPCA removed him from a foreclosed house in May 2010 where he was left abandoned with no food or water. Justin at the time of his rescueWeighing only 19 pounds, he was a skeleton with skin.

Today's daily action for National Justice for Animals Week is: suggest a caption for the recent photo of Justin, the week's official mascot.

The co-sponsor of National Justice for Animals Week 2011, Jon Cooper was elected legislator for the 18th district in Suffolk County, New York in November 1999. In October 2010, Jon sponsored a landmark bill, passed unanimously by Suffolk County lawmakers, to create the nation's first animal abuser registry.

Mississippi, one of the "Worst Five States" in the Animal Legal Defense Fund's latest animal protection laws rankings report, is one step closer to leaving the infamous list of the final four states currently without any felony animal cruelty penalties.

In November 2010, we reported that voters in Missouri, often infamously referred to as the "puppy mill capital of the nation," passed Proposition B -- the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act. The law is scheduled to go into effect later in 2011, but a fight has now begun to repeal or change the new law.

Recently, Animal Legal Defense Fund attorneys filed suit against the state of Texas in the case Doe v. Suehs. The suit alleges that the state has done nothing to ensure that companies that produce eggs in the state comply with a state law which, in no uncertain terms, requires egg producers to not keep hens in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, and to attend to dead, injured, and ill hens.

Several criticisms were created by the sentence imposed by Plymouth County, Massachusetts District Court Judge Beverly Cannone in the Heidi Erickson animal neglect case.

Ringing in the New Year also meant the start of some new animal protection laws that took effect on January 1st. Here are a few of them.

ALDF grant aids sheriff's animal rescue

Michael Vick's federal sentence contains a three-year ban on the possession of a dog. Should it have been permanent? We at the Animal Legal Defense Fund certainly think so, but we have to recognize the jurisdictional limits inherent in our justice system.

In this Q&A session, attorney Scott Heiser, director of the Animal Legal Defense Fund's Criminal Justice Program, answers some questions and provides some clarification relating to the current debate about whether Michael Vick should be allowed to own a pet dog.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund released its fifth annual State Animal Protection Laws report today, ranking all fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories for the general comprehensiveness and relative strength of their respective animal protection laws.

Kentucky, North Dakota, Idaho, Mississippi and Iowa are the five best states in the country to be an animal abuser, according to a new report released by the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

ALDF's fifth annual report, the longest-running and most authoritative report of its kind, ranks each jurisdiction on the relative strength and comprehensiveness of their current animal protection laws.

Concerned residents of Travis County and Gonzales County, Texas, represented by the Animal Legal Defense Fund, filed a lawsuit in Travis County District Court in an effort to stop the horrific abuses to birds and the human health risks posed by Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. -- the nation's largest egg supplier -- at its chicken-raising and egg production facility in Waelder, Texas.

New law makes it a crime to sell crush videos.

Help protect animals from repeat abuse and bring justice to animal victims.

Animal Legal Defense Fund Urges Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to Revoke Illegal Permit for "Tony" at Iberville Parish's Tiger Truck Stop

Decrepit County facility brought under fire

Arizona voters rejected Proposition 109 in an effort to protect wildlife, while in Missouri, voters passed Proposition B, the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act.

Donate before November 30th and your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar!

Were you ever that passionate? Were you ever that hopeful?

Prop B will ask voters whether to enact a new set of laws that would greatly expand regulations on dog breeders.

The law regarding animal treatment just got a whole lot stricter in Manitoba, Canada. The Animal Care Amendment Act took effect September 20th, doubling-up jail time and fines for offenders, and adding the severe penalty that a person convicted of an offense could be restricted from owning or caring for animals for life.

Last week, we shared the exciting news about the first-ever animal abuser registry being enacted. It wasn't just the first such registry in the U.S.A, but quite likely the first one in the world.

The Associated Press on September 16th reported that a man accused of dragging a "stubborn" horse alongside his truck has become the first person convicted by a Puerto Rico jury under an animal protection law enacted after dogs were thrown to their deaths from a bridge.

The Suffolk County Legislature unanimously approved a bill Tuesday, October 12th, to create a law establishing a county registry for animal abuse offenders. Suffolk County is home to 1.5 million human residents and an untold number of animal residents.

1.5 Million New Yorkers and their Animals Will Have More Protection from Repeat Offenders

Nation's first animal abuser registry could be just around the corner.

Last night, the U.S. Senate voted unanimously to pass the language of S. 3841 through a substitute amendment to H.R. 5566 which will ban the sale of animal crush videos.

It's time for the U.S. Senate to act on anti-crush legislation. Contact your Senators today and ask them to support S. 3841!

ALDF Honoring the State for Its Progressive Legislation at Chicago Reception

European Union passes "Protection of Animals Used for Scientific Purposes" law, providing for better lab animal welfare

GazetteXtra.com reports that because a Milton, WI, man has been accused of shooting a dog with a bow and arrow for essentially no reason at all, a state legislator has proposed a tougher law against pet assaults, making the type of crime allegedly committed a felony in the future, instead of a misdemeanor.

Suffolk County lawmakers have proposed a county registry that will keep animals away from abusers. If the law passes, Suffolk County will be the first municipality in the nation to have an Animal Abuser Registry.

Please send a letter to your senators and representatives through ALDF's website and ask them to join Senators Menendez, Durbin, and Lieberman and ALDF in amending this regulation to ensure accurate reporting about the real risks to animals shipped in cargo holds.

Your call can help stem the travesty of the 500,000+ companion animals that are euthanized every year in California. SB 250 -- the Pet Responsibility Act -- is now ready for a final assembly vote and your Assemblymember needs to hear from you today!

Deprived of legal protection, animals are defenseless against exploitation and abuse by humans. Check out ALDF's 30-second public service announcement version of our "This Is Who We Are" video.

Current Regulations Ignore Deaths, Injuries to Animals Shipped by Puppy Mill Operators

Welcoming thousands of legislators and staff-members from around the country, Kentucky was the host state for this year's National Summit of State Legislators. From July 25 – 28, state legislators gathered in Louisville to exchange ideas and educate themselves on current legislative trends.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident" begins the famous line from the Declaration of Independence. I've got my own version: We hold these truths to be self-evident: that one and one is two, that the sky is blue, and that abused animals should not be returned to their abusers.

Today, the Spanish region of Catalonia voted to ban bullfighting, a cruel blood "sport" long entrenched in Spanish culture. The ban -- the first-ever in mainland Spain -- passed with a vote of 68 to 55, and will go into effect in January 2012.

Good news from Congress: last week, the House of Representatives voted 416-3 to pass the Prevention of Interstate Commerce in Animal Crush Videos Act of 2010, which would prohibit the sale and distribution of crush videos in interstate and foreign commerce.

Why we must continue our fight for the animals affected by the Gulf oil spill.

TIME published an article yesterday that asks, "Can animal rights go too far?" - citing examples such as California's vote in 2008 to increase the size of cages for egg laying hens so they can stand up, lay down and spread their wings, and the more recent law signed by Governor Schwarzenegger last week that requires out-of-state egg producers to follow the same rules if they intend to sell their eggs in California.

Non-Californian egg-laying hens are included in a new law allowing them to stretch their wings if their eggs make it to market in the Golden State but they still must wait until 2015 to gain this new freedom.

Japan, Norway, and Iceland allowed to continue hunts.

"Compromise plan" facing a vote this week.

Whether they are kept as pets, hunted for food, photographed by divers, farmed in hatcheries, experimented on in research, or admired in koi ponds, there is law to address the endeavor. The following are just a few examples of fish and their place in the law.

New study looks at purchasing habits in response to public education.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund's third annual report, the only one of its kind in the nation, ranks every province and territory on the relative strength and general comprehensiveness of its animal protection laws.

New report calls out Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Quebec.

Arizona, West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Minnesota joined the growing list of states and territories (now numbering 18) that have enacted laws expressly authorizing courts to include animals in domestic violence protective orders.

Pennsylvania is the last state to openly practice live pigeon shoots -- an archaic competition where live pigeons are used as shooting targets. Please help put an end to this cruel and barbaric event by contacting your Pennsylvania state legislators and asking them to support House Bill 1411 and Senate Bill 843.

Ohio Residents: Take Action! Contact your senator through ALDF's website, and encourage him or her to support HB 70.

While in his last year at Chicago-Kent School of Law, Josh Grant, co-director of the school's Student Animal Legal Defense Fund chapter, wrote an in-depth article discussing Chicago's ban on foie gras.

Campaign Follows Animal Legal Defense Fund's Lawsuits Challenging Inhumane Conditions at County Shelters

Celebrated actress Ashley Judd, known as much for her smarts as her gorgeous looks (she's currently a graduate student at Harvard), has a big heart for animals, too.

Many Kentucky county shelters are treating the animals in their care with reckless disregard for the suffering that they are causing. Sign ALDF's petition today!

MINE the movie DVDs now available

Movie explores Hurricane Katrina's impact on animals and their guardians

Obama backs plan to lift ban on commercial whaling.

Email your representatives today.

Last year, Americans spent roughly $18 billion dollars on coffee—and virtually nothing to protect animals from some of the worst abuses imaginable. Is this who we are?

Please show your support for Louisiana's animal abuser registry bill! Call, write and/or attend the hearing for HB 201, scheduled for Thursday, April 29. Please act now!