Adopting sound laws and policies pertaining to pets and pet ownership plays an important role in achieving no-kill in our nation’s animal shelters. On the flip side, laws and policies that are breed restrictive pose a tremendous threat to the safety of both dogs and people. These laws — known as breed-specific legislation (BSL) — target certain dogs by breed or even just by appearance. In reality there is nothing specific about them.

According to a survey commissioned by Best Friends Animal Society, 84% of Americans believe people should be allowed to have any breed of dog they choose.

Dogs are individuals, with individual temperaments and behaviors that are not based on what they look like. Dog breed-specific legislation is wrong, and breed ban laws do not keep the public safer.

To keep people safe from dog bite-related incidents, the best and most effective laws focus not on breed, but on behavior — both the pet owner’s behavior and the dog’s behavior.

Degenerative myelopathy in dogs is a disorder of the spinal cord and is similar to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a human disease also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The word “degenerative” in the name refers to the degeneration of the spinal cord and the peripheral nerves. “Myelopathy” describes any neurological deficit of the spinal cord. The spinal cord contains fibers that relay movement commands from the brain to the limbs and sensory information from the limbs to the brain. 

We all want safe and humane communities for people and pets alike. Protecting people from dangerous dogs will always be our number one priority, which is why our public safety laws should focus on the behavior of the individual dog and owner, not on outdated misconceptions about certain dog breeds. This formula has proven effective by emphasizing public safety, personal responsibility and individual accountability. The simple truth is that breed is not a factor in bites.

We all want safe and humane communities. Scientific studies have proven that pit bull terriers are just as safe and gentle as any other dog. In fact, they have ranked better than golden retrievers or border collies on temperament tests, according to the American Temperament Test Society. Best Friends Animal Society hired Luntz Global to hold a focus group to learn how to fight breed restrictions and market pit bull terriers. Join us and learn how to change perceptions to Save Them All.

Community cat programs and the trap-neuter-vaccinate-return (TNVR) method of managing ownerless free-roaming cats provide significant, tangible benefits. However, opponents of the programs sometimes question whether this progressive approach is sound public policy or is “legal” under state and local law. Opposition is almost always rhetorical and fear-driven, and it comes from outside interests offering no feasible alternative.

Community cats can be found just about everywhere that people live. These outdoor, free-roaming cats live in and are cared for by community members — hence the term “community cats.” 

For decades, community cats have been trapped and killed in a failed attempt at population management. Using this trap-and-kill approach is not only ineffective at reducing outdoor cat populations, but it’s also a burden on animal shelters by adding to their intake numbers and the number of animals killed.

For every commercially bred puppy or kitten purchased from a breeder or retailer, there is a pet in a shelter, waiting for a home. Every year, around 625,000 dogs and cats are killed in shelters across the country simply because they don’t have a safe place to call home. Meanwhile, pet mills continue to churn out countless animals for the pet trade. But people like you are helping jurisdictions throughout the country break this cycle, saving lives and taxpayer dollars by enacting local ordinances to fight the cruelty of puppy and kitten mills.

Upper respiratory infection (URI) in cats, sometimes called “cat flu,” is common in felines of all ages — from kittens to senior cats. In young cats, the initial cause is often simply a viral or bacterial agent. However, diagnosis of a chronic URI in an older cat by no means tells the whole story.