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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NYC Council Passes Romanch’s Law in Historic Vote to End Horse-Drawn Carriages by 2028
The bill will responsibly phase out the horse drawn cab industry to make NYC safer for allOctober 22, 2026 Press Release -
ALDF Announces Caitlin Hawks as New Executive Director
The Animal Legal Defense Fund today announced Caitlin Hawks as its new executive director.October 21, 2026 Press Release -
Group Seeks Federal Action to Protect the Last Remaining Solitary Pet Chimpanzee in the U.S.
Bow, an endangered chimpanzee, is being held in solitary confinement in violation of federal lawOctober 20, 2026 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.