During its Annual Meeting last year, the American Bar Association’s policymaking House of Delegates passed a resolution urging all legislative bodies and governmental agencies “to repeal breed discriminatory or breed specific provisions.”  Instead, the ABA called for breed-neutral dangerous dog laws that ensure due process for guardians, encourage responsible pet guardianship and focus on the behavior of both the individual and the dog.  The ABA’s approach is a sensible one.

Marking the end of a three year legal battle, the Texas Supreme Court ruled last Friday that damages awarded for a pet’s death due to negligence are "limited to loss of value, not loss of relationship" and maintained that a pet guardian could not seek damages for sentimental value after the family dog was mistakenly euthanized in a Fort Worth animal shelter. The ruling reaffirms over 120 years of precedent.

At first read, one might mistake AB 343 as a bill that encourages individuals to bring to light instances of animal cruelty and unsafe food practices.  After all, any measure that creates a duty to report animal cruelty must be a step in the humane direction, right?

Despite decades of intensive conservation efforts, the endangered California condor still hovers on the brink of extinction.  Why?  Lead ammunition.

California’s foie gras ban went into effect in July 2012, making the in-state sale and production of products derived from force-fed birds illegal. Today, the battle against this purported delicacy continues.

For determined consumers, such as Californians who travel to Nevada to buy foie gras, the banned product can still be found.  In addition to dining on the fattened liver, Californians who reportedly travel to Reno to attend foie gras tastings hosted by a loacl specialty food purveyor are also encouraged to stock up on foie gras for their home kitchens and dinner parties.

Community cats are a community issue.  Ongoing cooperation among various members of the community is critical to successful community cat management; however, the topic is often highly debated and emotionally charged when humane, conservation and scientific communities perceive their interests to be pitted against one another.

Fortunately, the San Francisco SPCA believes that all parties can – and should – work toward common goals of reducing the number of community cats and treating all animals humanely.   As such, the SF SPCA eagerly took part in a progressive conference held last week that brought together scientists, technical experts and others with an interest in the issues tied to free-roaming, abandoned and outdoor cat populations.  

The San Francisco SPCA and the Humane Society of the United States invite our supporters and other animal advocates to join us at the San Francisco SPCA campus for an exciting night of animal advocacy!   HSUS California State Director Jennifer Fearing and Assemblymember Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco) are among the guests who will join the San Francisco SPCA on Monday, December 10th to share their thoughts on creating a more compassionate California.  

The puppy mill industry has no rightful place in our humane society.  Fortunately, Los Angeles recently took a huge stride toward preventing animals from suffering in puppy mills and reducing the number of homeless animals by becoming the largest city to date to ban the sale of commercially bred animals in pet stores.  Passed on October 31st by Los Angeles’ City Council in a landslide victory, the new ordinance will require that all dogs, cats and rabbits sold in retail pet stores in Los Angeles come from shelters, humane societies and rescue groups. Violators of the ban could face misdemeanor charges and fines ranging from $250 to $1,000 for repeat offenses.  Individuals are still permitted to buy directly from breeders.