We want to see photos of YOUR rescued animals!

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!

Due to South Dakota's consistent low rating in ALDF's annual State Animal Protection Laws Rankings, I read with interest a June 23, 2010 opinion that came down from the Supreme Court of South Dakota: State v. Fifteen Impounded Cats. While the Court's ultimate ruling is a desirable one, I take issue with the underlying reasoning used to get there.

In May 2010, at the Clinton County, New York home of Michael Malpass, police discovered six dead animals along with eighteen cats and three dogs suffering from severe neglect in conditions so filthy that the house was condemned.

Here's a fun and easy way to raise awareness about the importance of spaying and neutering companion animals -- order a California "Spay & Neuter" license plate!

Clinton County, New York
Sentencing date: September 15

Despite a $22 million public investment in a new state-of-the-art animal shelter, Sacramento County's animals are now at great risk. Two years of County budget cuts have meant a 40-percent reduction in animal care staff and limited public hours for reuniting lost pets with their families and adopting out homeless animals. And it could get worse.

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

Sign the petition!

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

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?

On April 2, 2010, a jury found Allison Dinsmore not guilty of felony animal cruelty for allegedly abandoning her two cats for weeks, leaving them to die horrible deaths by starvation in her apartment.

China Considers First Comprehensive Animal Protection Law

New law to protect "puppy-mill" dogs in effect and improved pet-related legislation one step closer to becomeing law.

Vikki Rene Kittles, also known as Susan Dietrich, Rene Depenbrock, and Lynn Zellan, has a history of animal hoarding that goes back decades and spans the United States from the Southeast to the Northwest.

Bill to make torturing cats and dogs a felony dies in the legislature.

Please visit ExposeAnimalAbusers.org and urge your state lawmakers to propose legislation for an animal abuser registry in your state.

Tiffany Wasserburger is the county attorney for Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska. Tiffany's tireless prosecution has helped provide second chances for countless animals, including Max the kitten.

I had the honor of helping assist in the final stages of drafting a proposed statutory amendment in Illinois that has been introduced in the house as House Bill 5772, and in the Senate as Senate Bill 3594. The bill is referred to as the Dogs and Cats Disclosures Bill.

As we celebrate Valentine's Day, I hope that you will join me in celebrating our furriest family members, these creatures who bring us so much love and goodwill, so many moments of laughter and a deeper understanding of them and ourselves.

New bill allows veterinarians to report suspected cases of animal cruelty.

ALDF would like to recognize the contributions of State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle and Assistant State Attorney Michael Von Zamft for their efforts in a brutal crime spree where 19 cats were found killed and mutilated in neighborhoods throughout Florida's Miami-Dade County.

Change.org has launched their Ideas for Change in America 2010‏ competition, and your vote is needed to win better rights for animals!

Bob Barker may best be known as the beloved host of the longest running TV game show in history. But "The Price is Right" host is also a long-time advocate for animals and is the keynote speaker at Animal Legal Defense Fund's "Future of Animal Law" conference on April 9-11 at Harvard Law School.

An amicus curiae brief permits a non-party to offer its view of a case, typically premised on either its interest in the outcome or its expertise in the field. The Animal Legal Defense Fund submits amicus briefs in a wide variety of cases, working to advance the interests of animals by urging courts to recognize their own interests and their special value to humans.

I used to dread the holiday season. Like many people, I allowed myself to be burdened with obligations that felt overwhelming. I've let go of a lot of those obligations and in recent years, I've begun to concentrate more on what the spiritual meaning of the season is.

Great year-end news for homeless Kentucky animals!

Why are certain states in the dog house when it comes to getting tough on animal abuse?

ALDF 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.

Max can now play, cuddle and catnap without fear.

Please take a few minutes to complete this important survey about the value of companion animals.

I have long been an advocate of keeping animal abusers out of shelters and on more than one occasion I've criticized a judge for ordering a defendant convicted of animal abuse to work off community service hours at the local animal shelter. However, as life has a way of proving, sometimes there are exceptions to the general rule.

One of the driving issues behind the field of animal law is the disconnect between the law's description of animals as "property" with the understanding so many of us have that animals are much more than that - most of the tens of millions of Americans who share their homes with dogs, cats, and other animal companions would agree that they are, most definitely, members of the family.

It is exceedingly rare to hear anything positive regarding animals and Kentucky law. Yet despite the continuing legal and political morass surrounding the state's animal protection laws, we are happy to commend the prosecutors of Kenton County who were the first to successfully utilize the only animal protection law strengthened in Kentucky last year, when they recently secured a felony conviction against a man charged with stabbing to death two cats.

ALDF Submits Amicus Brief Supporting Anti-cruelty Law

The complexities of the United States v. Stevens case are clarified in this Q & A session with ALDF Attorney Matthew Liebman. Have additional questions? Post them in the comments section and Matthew will answer them on the Q & A page.

I recently listened to a podcast on Scout's House Radio entitled, "The Making of Special Needs Pets." In the interview, ALDF's Chief Outside Litigation Counsel Bruce Wagman discussed how humans create special needs companions - special needs companions like Maggie, who, at the age of two, was too fearful to play.

AB 243 has cleared the California Legislature and now awaits Governor Schwarzenegger's signature. ALDF provided research and advice to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office (who championed the proposal) on the drafting of the bill - a process which began more than a year ago.

Does your state have the laws necessary to ensure that your companion animal is cared for in the case of your passing?

Allison Dinsmore, a middle school teacher in Palm Beach County, Florida, is facing felony charges of animal cruelty for allegedly abandoning her two cats for weeks, leaving them to die horrible deaths by starvation in her apartment. Send a polite letter to State Attorney Michael F. McAuliffe, thanking him for his work to date on the case and encouraging a strong and meaningful sentence upon conviction.

What are you doing to create the change animals need?

Volume 2 of the Stanford Journal of Animal Law and Policy (SJALP) is now online.

Facing over 90 criminal charges of animal cruelty related to animal hoarding, Wanda Oughton pleaded guilty to one criminal count of animal cruelty and was ordered to pay over $35,000 in restitution and fines.

Veterinarians could face penalities for reporting animal cruelty.

ALDF helps prosecutor in animal/domestic abuse case

The case of Max the cat is a milestone for animal rights.

The recent case of Cheyenne Cherry, a 17 year old girl who reportedly confessed unapologetically for having tortured and killed a kitten by putting her in a hot oven, has garnered well-deserved outrage from across the nation.

Have Americans' attitudes towards animals changed? Yes, they have, and it is most obvious in how Americans view their own companion animals.

Morris County, New Jersey
Case Closed
Take Action! Support ALDF's First Strike and You're Out law!

Send a polite letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service asking them to permanently revoke Michael Sargeant's Class B license.

Animal lovers in San Juan Puerto Rico beckoned ALDF for a visit to observe and assist with local efforts to protect and enhance the lives of animals there, and I happily volunteered to go.

Help stop animal hoarding! Support ALDF's model law.

I spend more evenings than I'd care to admit trying to divine what my dog and two cats are thinking. It is a never-ending source of amusement for me to watch them relate to each other, and to me, and see how they motivate and manipulate each other.

A proposal for mandatory bans on contact with animals following a conviction for animal neglect or cruelty.

Palm Beach County, Florida
Case Closed

Ask Joyce: I'm worried about who will care for my cats, Bob and Alice, when I die. My family is gone, and I have no friends who can take care of them. What do I do?

Court orders county shelter to improve conditions by July 1st.

Not too long ago, I got a typical call from a somewhat harried prosecutor. She works as the lead attorney in the domestic violence unit of her office, loves animals and had heard that ALDF can help busy prosecutors get better results in their cases.

Flea and tick season are fast approaching, and it's time to start thinking about how to combat these pests to keep our pets comfortable, safe and healthy. In years past, I've been diligent about regularly applying topical flea and tick control to both my cats and dogs during the time of year when these pests are at their worst. However, more and more information is coming out about the dangers of these pesticide products, which has me reconsidering my use of them.

Watch ALDF's special video profile of our National Justice for Animals Week mascot—Adam, a 2-year-old cat who survived a horrific act of cruelty to inspire animal advocates around the world.

Ms. Moawad's aggressive prosecution of profoundly cruel animal abuse in the White Socks kitten case helped improve the flawed sentencing system that capped the state’s ability to put the offenders away for a meaningful period of time.

The majority of Dr. Ferris' emergency response activities involve large scale animal hoarding cases and dog fighting seizures rather than natural disasters. Dr. Ferris is a sworn animal cruelty investigator and teaches animal cruelty investigation courses for veterinary students and other cruelty investigators across the state.

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.

ALDF had the opportunity to chat with NASCAR driver Nolan Wilson about what fuels his passion for animal protection, why he loves racing fans, and what his feline co-pilot, Pipet, is meowing about these days.

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

The Horror is Finally Over For 250 Dogs and Cats

ALDF's New Study Ranks Provinces and Territories on Laws Protecting Animals - Ontario Ranks Worst, Manitoba Takes Top Honors in Animal Legal Defense Fund’s First-of-its-Kind Report

Portland, Oregon
Case Closed
Act now!

Visalia, California
Act now!

State Appeals Court in Los Angeles Upholds City’s Ban on "Declawing"

From A Hoarding Case Comes A New Law

What You Can Do If You've Been Affected By the Pet Food Recall