The Animal Legal Defense Fund
We are animals' legal advocates, legal experts, and legal voice.
We Get Justice for Animal Victims
We assist law enforcement and prosecutors in over 100 cases a year enforce animal cruelty laws and hold animal abusers accountable.
Police were shocked to find 55 cats, 12 dogs, and two turtles in a flea-filled New York City home, where the smell of ammonia was so strong that rescuers had to wear respirators and protective clothing. The Animal Legal Defense Fund advised and assisted prosecutors, and thanks to these diligent efforts, in March 2018, Elizabeth Grant was found guilty of 108 counts of animal cruelty, failure to provide proper sustenance, and failure to provide proper food and drink to an impounded animal.
We File High Profile Lawsuits To Stop Puppy Mills
We sue pet stores, breeders, and government agencies that do not follow the law — and treat animals as commodities, not living, feeling beings. We need your help to protect innocent animals in court. Will you join us?
Mother dogs in puppy mills spend their entire lives in cramped cages made with painful metal wirestrand flooring, often stacked atop one another.
The vast majority of pet stores source their puppies from puppy mills across the United States.
Dogs in puppy mills live in crowded, unsanitary conditions and rarely receive even basic veterinary care.
A puppy mill is a large-scale commercial dog-breeding facility where profits are valued more than the well-being of the dogs.
Puppies born into puppy mills are raised and transported in filthy conditions, deprived of social contact, and frequently shipped at younger ages than permitted by animal protection laws.
The vast majority of pet stores source their puppies from puppy mills across the United States.
Pet stores routinely advertise puppies as sourced from “USDA-licensed” breeders but this license only means the breeder provides the bare minimum of care to keep its dogs alive.
Donate to Protect Animals
Help animals win the legal protections they so desperately need and deserve, and ensure they have an advocate in courtrooms and legislatures across the country.
About the Animal Legal Defense Fund
Today, our groundbreaking efforts to push the U.S. legal system to end the suffering of abused animals are supported by thousands of dedicated attorneys and more than 200,000 members and supporters. Every day, we work to protect animals by:
- Filing groundbreaking lawsuits to stop animal abuse and expand the boundaries of animal law.
- Providing free legal assistance to prosecutors handling cruelty cases.
- Working to strengthen state anti-cruelty statutes.
- Encouraging the federal government to enforce existing animal protection laws.
Related
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Lawsuit Against Tillamook for Deceptive Advertising Allowed to Proceed
The Animal Legal Defense Fund will continue to challenge the dairy company for misrepresenting the source of its milk to consumersApril 4, 2025 Press Release -
CDC Urged to Release Bird Flu Data Critical to Combatting Outbreak
The Animal Legal Defense Fund seeks updated information from CDC as avian influenza has continued across the U.S.March 28, 2025 News -
Grupos de protección animal solicitan a un tribunal de Minnesota que emita una orden de registro para investigar a Jennie-O por el uso de VSD+
Los registros revelan que la compañía mató a miles de pavos usando "Ventilation Shutdown Plus" (apagado de ventilación plus), lo que causa un golpe de calorMarch 20, 2025 Press Release
No More Puppy Mills
Puppy mill operators maximize their profits by producing large numbers of puppies as quickly as possible. As a result, unsanitary conditions, disease, and neglect are rampant. Sign our pledge to boycott puppy mills. Together we can end this cruel industry.