Advocacy

In a shocking revelation, the U. S. Department of Agriculture just confirmed that it will process Valley Meat Co. LLC’s application for a grant of inspection to begin slaughtering horses for human consumption in Roswell, New Mexico. The confirmation comes just days after furniture giant Ikea removed its signature Swedish meatballs from markets across most of Europe after they were found to contain horse meat.

“Given the current firestorm of outrage over horsemeat entering the food supply in Europe, it is time for Congress to prevent even one more American horse from suffering this terrible fate and stop horse slaughter in the U.S. once and for all,” says Nancy Perry, Senior Vice President of ASPCA Government Relations.

Despite the fact that an overwhelming 80% of Americans oppose the slaughtering of horses for human consumption, Valley Meat will be the first facility to butcher horses for human consumption on U.S. soil since 2007 if its application is approved. Horses are not biologically suited for commercial slaughter and are difficult to stun before dismemberment. They will endure terrible trauma and cruelty if the plant opens for business.

“If the USDA moves forward with allowing the cruel and toxic horse slaughter industry to enter our country, this administration is leading our nation in precisely the wrong direction,” says Perry.  

Please Take Action Today!

Please call the White House message line at (202) 456-1111 and urge the Obama administration to stop horse slaughter! Here’s all you need to say:

“Please use your power to prevent any horse slaughterhouses from opening in the U.S. and to prevent the slaughter of our horses in other countries. Horses are not raised for food. This industry is cruel to horses and endangers consumers, who are eating a toxic product.”

Thank you!

Great news! This week members of Congress reintroduced legislation to establish greater federal oversight of puppy mills and online dog sales.

The Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety (PUPS) Act would require commercial breeders who sell their puppies directly to the public, sight unseen, including via the web, to be licensed and inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Currently, only breeders who sell dogs to pet stores or to puppy brokers are subject to federal oversight.

Many puppies sold online come from puppy mills and are commonly bred in unsanitary, overcrowded and often cruel conditions without sufficient veterinary care, food, water or socialization. While facilities that breed puppies for commercial resale through pet stores are required to be licensed and inspected, breeders who sell directly to consumers, via the Internet, newspaper classifieds or other outlets, are exempt from any federal oversight.

“As the ASPCA has seen firsthand, the photos of happy, healthy puppies posted on a breeder’s website often grossly misrepresent what conditions are really like for these puppies and their parents,” says Nancy Perry, Senior Vice President of ASPCA Government Relations. “Puppy mills are able to completely evade federal oversight by taking advantage of a pre-Internet loophole in current law, but the PUPS Act would change that.”

As mentioned in USA Today, the PUPS Act will require that any breeder who sells more than 50 dogs each year to pet stores or online must meet federal standards.

“The current loophole has allowed too many dog breeders to get away with abusive behavior for far too long,” adds Cori Menkin, Senior Director of the ASPCA’s Puppy Mill Campaign. “We encourage Congress and the USDA to take meaningful steps to protect dogs in commercial breeding facilities.”

To learn more about the ASPCA’s efforts to eradicate puppy mills, and how you can help, please visit www.nopetstorepuppies.com.

Dog fighting is a huge problem, and sometimes it can seem that you can’t do much to help as an individual. But there are a few things you can do to stop it now, and we really need your help.

Why? Take it from those of us who have seen dog fighting compounds first-hand: Life as a dog used for fighting is a nightmare.

They live chained up or in a tiny cage. They don’t get the veterinary care they need. They die in the ring or are unceremoniously shot for losing. Some are used as “bait” for other dogs. Some have litter after litter. Some starve. Some go without water for days.

Odds are that dog fighting is happening in your state right now. We need your help to stop it. Give dog fighting victims three minutes of your time?

1. Ask your U.S. representative to support the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act.

The Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act, introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on January 23, would make it a federal offense to knowingly attend an organized animal fight and would impose additional penalties for bringing children to animal fights. Violators would face up to one year in prison for attending a fight, and up to three years in prison for bringing a minor to a fight.

You can help the bill along by contacting your rep. We’ve made it easy at the ASPCA Advocacy Center, and we promise it only takes a few minutes, tops.

2. Download our new anti-dog fighting toolkit for citizen advocates.

If you’re as horrified by dog fighting as we are, and you think you might want to commit more time to stopping dog fighting in the near future, download our new toolkit developed with the U.S. Department of Justice. It’s got everything you need to know to get more involved. (We admit, actually reading it will take more than three minutes, but you get the idea.)

3. Fight Pit Bull prejudice via social media.

Pit Bulls and dogs who look like Pit Bulls get a bad rap because of their reputation as fighting dogs. Fight it by becoming a tireless advocate for them on your social networks. Start by posting the profile of a cute, adoptable Pit Bull-type dog on Facebook (we suggest Pet of the Week Champion) or sharing a happy tail about a Pit.

You can even share the story of a rehabilitated ex-fighting dog, like Ninja or Dragon.

Oh, and of course, a bonus fourth thing you can do: Share this post on your social networks.

Easy, right? Together we can make a huge difference, and to the dogs who are suffering right now at the hands of fighters, it means the world.  

To learn about a few more ways to fight back against blood sports, view our 10 ways to help end dog fighting and get educated about the issue on our dog fighting page.

On behalf of the dogs, thank you!

Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV), Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-CA), Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) holding Bunker the Dog, Rep. John Campbell (R-CA), Del. Madeleine Bordallo (D-GU), Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC)

We recently hosted a special reception in the U.S. Capitol welcoming members of the House of Representatives to the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus (CAPC). The CAPC is a bipartisan organization committed to raising awareness of animal welfare issues in Congress.

The event was also an opportunity to recognize a new Co-Chair of the Caucus, Rep. John Campbell (R-CA), along with returning Co-Chair Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA).

“I’m very pleased and honored to have the opportunity to work alongside of Congressman Moran in leading this important caucus,” said Rep. Campbell. “I look forward to the opportunities the Caucus will have this year to come together in a bipartisan fashion to highlight the animal protection needs that remain unaddressed in this nation.”

The caucus currently has 70 members—see if your representative is one of them.

Take Action
Members of the ASPCA’s D.C.-based Government Relations team had a chance to mingle with legislators, their staff, and others who are interested in animal protection issues. It was a great opportunity to meet new and returning Members of Congress and talk with them about current issues, including passing a ban on horse slaughter and the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act. Have you asked your representative to support these initiatives? If not, visit the ASPCA Advocacy Center and get started today!

Richard Patch (ASPCA), Rep. John Campbell, Nancy Perry (ASPCA), Carolyn Schnurr (ASPCA), Rep. Jim Moran