Animal Legal Defense Fund Celebrates First-Ever National Justice for Animals Week, February 22 - 28

Some months back, I was sent a video of men taunting a crippled dog in a foreign desert. They were laughing as they pelted the dog with rocks. Their victim, already suffering miserably, tried her best to escape the vicious onslaught.

Spread the word! Let everyone know you have joined the fight against animal abuse by downloading one of our eye-catching National Justice for Animals Week badges.

Joyce Tischler, ALDF founder and general counsel, recently talked with Scott Drake of Speaking of Justice about a lawsuit filed by the Humane Society of the United States against six of the nation's largest retailers and fashion designers for engaging in false advertising and mislabeling of fur garments. The complaint, filed in December, 2008 in D.C. Superior Court, names Andrew Marc, Dillard's, Lord & Taylor, Macy's, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue and claims that these retailers and designers misrepresent fur products by labeling and marketing them as faux fur when they are real fur. The suit also claims that those mentioned advertise and label products as common raccoon, fox or rabbit when actually made from raccoon dog, a canine species from Asia.

Lawsuit Follows Emergency Rescue of 6 Emaciated Horses, Too Late for a 7th Who Died in Extreme Pain of Starvation

You've been a tremendous voice for animals in 2008 - from supporting ALDF's work with generous donations to taking action on cases that needed urgent attention. Because of you, more animals have been saved and more cutting-edge laws put in place to protect them. Your actions have made a world of difference for our clients - the animals!

Celebrate ALDF's cutting-edge efforts for cats in 2008.

Animal Legal Defense Fund Releases Annual Report Ranking Animal Cruelty Laws Across the Nation

This report - the only one of its kind in the nation - ranks the animal protection laws of every state based on their relative strength and general comprehensiveness.

Kerry Patton’s article entitled, "Justice for Animals: The State of the Law in Connecticut," appears in the most recent issue of Connecticut Lawyer.

Washington County, Oregon
Case Closed
Act now!

ALDF offers a case study analysis on the criminal laws in Iowa, where the abuse of pigs on a farm supplying Hormel has raised a national outrage.

Orange County, Florida
Case Closed

Bronx, New York
Case Closed

Decrepit County Facilities Brought under Fire for Falling Far Short of Standards Mandated by State's Humane Shelter Law

A majority of states guarantee you the right to submit a Victim Impact Statement as part of a criminal case against someone who injured or killed your companion animal. Learn what to include when writing one and how a Victim Impact Statement may affect your case.

The Horror is Finally Over For 250 Dogs and Cats

Carroll County, Virginia
Case Closed

Catawba County, North Carolina
Case Closed

Portland, Oregon
Case Closed
Act now!

Plainville, Connecticut
Case Closed

Animal Legal Defense Fund Dismisses Lawsuit Arguing that Corcpork, Inc. Violated Anti-Cruelty Laws by Keeping Pigs in Illegal Intensive Confinement Conditions

(Butler County, Ohio)
Case Closed
Take Action!

Give Something Warm, Fuzzy, and Cruelty-Free this Valentine’s – Get a Dog From a Shelter, Not a Pet Store

SB 26 Criminalizes Organized Dogfighting

Alachua County, Florida
Case Closed
Act Now!

Swift Settlement Protects Severely Neglected Toy Poodles and Birds Seized in October from AKC Champion Breeder

Found Guilty of Financing Dogfighting Operation and Viciously Killing Dogs

National Animal Law Organization Offers Support in Case of Beagle Skinned Alive in Cullman County

Final Judgment in Lee County Court Means Dogs Rescued from Sanford Hoarders Will Be in Forever Homes for Christmas

Groups Call on the Agency to Issue New Regulations Declaring Foie Gras a Diseased Product

San Bernardino County, California
Case Closed
Take Action!

United States
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Marissa Dirks, Harvard SALDF president, wrote this editorial about the cruel dog racing industry, which appeared in The Record, the independent newspaper at Harvard Law School.

Dozens of Severely Neglected Toy Poodles and Other Animals Already Seized from AKC Champion Breeder in Animal Hoarding Case

"Free Baby Mendes" Campaign Shines Spotlight on Unlawful Conditions, Little-Known Practice within Dairy Industry

Victims of North Carolina Animal Hoarders Celebrate New Life with Maryland Foster Families

Nashville, Tennessee
Case Closed

Proposed Amendment to State RICO Act Could Send Dogfighters to Jail for 20 Years

Proposed Amendment to State RICO Act Could Send Dogfighters to Jail for 40 Years

Urge NFL to Not Tolerate Dogfighting

Visalia, California

Animal Legal Defense Fund Sends Letter to Washington Redskins Players Clinton Portis and Chris Samuels

Eleven Neglected Cats Permanently Rescued From Horrific Living Conditions

Case Against Animal Hoarder Involved Hundreds of Dogs, Record Penalties

Oregon Court of Appeals Grants Petition to Permanently Remove Cats from their Neglectful Owner in Linn County Hoarding Case, Sets Vital Precedent for Animal Law

Hundreds of dogs rescued from a puppy mill near Nashville, Tennessee, last fall are now finding permanent, loving homes, thanks to a joint effort and some extra work by the county prosecutor.

National Animal Law Organization Offers Support in Case of Hialeah Man Charged with Ramming Cows with His Van

ALDF Disappointed by High Court's Decision on Measure 3; Remains Confident in the Integrity of Abused Animal Forfeiture Laws

Eureka, California
Case Closed

The Animal Legal Defense Fund, East Bay Animal Advocates, and three Bay Area residents dismissed their lawsuit against Corcpork, Inc. California's largest industrial pig farming operation, after the facility agreed to stop the abusive practice of confining thousands of female pigs in crates so tiny that they cannot turn around or even scratch.

East Freedom, Pennsylvania
Case Closed
Act now!

The Animal Legal Defense Fund is urging the judge and district attorney in a local case of mass animal cruelty to set conditions preventing convicted abuser Bonnie George from continuing to own animals at her resentencing this evening in Franklinville, NY.

It began with one of the cruelest animal abuse cases imaginable. Three young men took Max, a brown tabby cat, from his home in Spokane, Washington, doused him with gasoline, and set him on fire in a field.

After taking the case against Mendes Calf Ranch all the way to the highest court in the land, ALDF got news on May 15, 2008 that the California Supreme Court was dismissing ALDF v. Mendes

The Animal Legal Defense Fund has produced a first-of-its-kind report – a ranking of all fifty states and the District of Columbia for the general comprehensiveness and relative strength of their respective animal protection laws.

The Legal Advocates' Manual for Animal Abuse Criminal Cases was written to help attorneys and others become effective advocates for animals while working with their local prosecutors' offices.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund has issued an all-new report reviewing the status of the laws of each state in the country by chronicling both their statutes and caselaw as they relate to animal neglect.

A principal function of the American legal system is to resolve disputes through an attempt to determine the truth. There are generally two kinds of legal actions filed in the U.S.: civil cases and criminal cases. This page describes the process of a civil lawsuit.

Several academic studies have found a clear link between animal cruelty during youth and violence against humans as an adult. This link is so well established, profilers routinely use animal cruelty reports in their assessment of the possible threat criminals pose.

A sample foster care agreement form for shelters to use to establish temporary foster homes for animals.

A sample foster care application form for shelters to use to establish temporary foster homes for animals.

Pre-conviction forfeiture is important so that the animal victims do not waste away in cages indefinitely but are instead allowed to be placed into loving homes.

A current list of U.S. jurisdictions with and without felony animal cruelty provisions.

This is the must-have resource for lawyers, law professors, law students, legislators, other legal professionals, and anyone who wants the most comprehensive animal protection laws collection of its kind available.

Whether writing to a prosecutor, sheriff, investigator or judge, our input can have a significant effect on how cases are handled and laws are enforced. The following tips will help you write a persuasive letter.

Hoarding is one of the most egregious forms of animal cruelty, affecting tens of thousands of animals – mostly cats and dogs – in communities nationwide. Find out how to spot it and what you can do to stop it.

Finding an attorney to help with your animal-related issue can be an important step. ALDF offers these helpful suggestions when finding an animal law attorney.