USDA removed animal welfare reports from its site. A showhorse lawsuit may be why.

Source: Washington Post

(February 9, 2017) Three summers ago, Lee and Mike McGartland entered a horse named The Royal Dollar in the 74th annual Red Carpet Show of the South. A veterinary medical officer from the U.S. Department of Agriculture was there, too....Read more»

The Dog Factory: Inside the Sickening World of Puppy Mills

Source: Rolling Stone 

(January 3, 2017) An investigation into the underworld of America's overcrowded dog farms, the secret shame of the pet industry...Read more»

Appeals Court remands Toledo dog case

Source: The Blade 

(October 21, 2016) The 6th District Court of Appeals has taken a stand by placing a higher value on companion animals...Read more»

What Many Americans Don't Understand About Designer Dogs

Source: Washington Post 

(September 8, 2016) Dogs are born with ears and tails.  They should get to keep them... Read more»

What Does It Mean When A Goat Gazes Into Your Eyes?

Source: NPR

(July 8, 2016) When a goat gazes into your eyes, it may be issuing a silent plea for help. That's the suggestion from a new study of goats co-authored by Christian Nawroth, who researches animal cognition at Queen Mary University of London, published in Biology Letters... Read more»

Study: Over half of pet dogs and cats were overweight in 2015

Source: AVMA

(June 1, 2016) Approximately 58 percent of cats and 54 percent of dogs were overweight or obese in 2015, according to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. The association is calling on the veterinary industry to clearly define and classify pet obesity as a disease and to adopt a universal body condition scoring scale for assessing pet obesity... Read more»

What's Fido thinking? Canine cognition researchers want to know

Source: CNBC

(June 18, 2016) Dogs — all 300-plus existing breeds — are curious creatures: The domesticated variety is notorious for mindless habits like chewing on socks and chasing down squirrels, even while their more disciplined brethren sniff out illegal drugs, explosives and even cancer.

Those characteristics are all part of canine cognition, a growing field of research conducted by leading dog psychologists (yes, really) who actively examine why our furry friends behave the way they do. Places like Stanford, Yale and the University of Florida are just several of the research institutions pioneering a broad effort to understand what makes dogs tick... Read more»

PAWS to become smoke-free shelter

Source: NWF Daily News

(June 28, 2016) Starting next month, smoke in the air will be prohibited at the Panhandle Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) in Fort Walton Beach.

PAWS is going tobacco free on July 1. That means cigarettes, cigars, pipes, smokeless tobacco and electronic nicotine delivery systems—such as “vapes”—will be prohibited on PAWS premises, including parking lots, outdoor play areas and in company vehicles... Read more»