Street dog in Bhutan

Kathy Milani / HSI 2010

Dog and cat welfare

The cats and dogs who share our lives are often our first and deepest connection to another species. But every day around the world, millions of dogs and cats face neglect and cruelty. 

Did you know?

Through rescues, direct care, education and policy reforms, Humane World for Animals works to protect companion animals and to support people in caring for them. 

60,000
cats and dogs

received vaccinations, spay/neuter and other veterinary care through our multiyear Spayathon for Puerto Rico collaborative project

73,000+
street dogs

in Lucknow, India have been sterilized and vaccinated since 2019

40+
countries

plus three U.S. states (Maryland, New York and Virginia), and more than 20 U.S. municipalities ban the nontherapeutic declawing of cats

Take a look inside the problem 

The situation for dogs and cats varies among countries and cultures. In some places, pet adoption is still a relatively new concept. But even where it’s common, animal shelters are often underfunded and overwhelmed.

HSI staff providing a vaccine to a street dog in India

Karma Sonam Bhutia/AP Images

Vaccinating a dog in Dehradun, India.

Street dogs

Around the world, large numbers of free-roaming dogs and cats are cared for by community members who lack access to veterinary care and other resources to protect their well-being. In some countries, governments use inhumane and ineffective lethal methods for managing dog and cat populations.  

Dirty white dog looks at photographer through puppy mill cage

Amie Chou/Humane World for Animals

Rescued from a puppy mill.

Profit over welfare

For some people, dogs and cats are simply a means to profit—through kitten and puppy mills, dogfighting, the trade in dog and cat meat, and other callous industries. 

Street cat standing on metal fixtures

Micki Rosi Richter /For Humane World for Animals

TNR helps community cats

Community cats

Trap-neuter-return programs have become the standard approach for improving the welfare of community cats and humanely managing their populations. 

Spay/neuter clinic

Kristin Lamy/Humane World for Animals

Spay/neuter saves lives.

Our approach

Every year, tens of thousands of dogs and cats benefit from our spay/neuter, vaccination, and food and shelter distribution programs. Our multifaceted approach aims to improve the lives of dogs and cats who are currently in need and to create permanent change for these animals in the years to come.

/The HSUS

Petland sells sick puppies

Petland is the largest retailer of puppy mill dogs, and while the company claims their puppies come only from reputable breeders and are in good health, our investigations prove otherwise. You can help end this cruelty.

Our work around the world

We work on companion animal issues across 13 countries, and reach many more through our training programs and partnerships with local animal welfare organizations. 

Dogs on a dog meat farm in South Korea.

Across Asia, millions of dogs and cats are kept in terrible conditions and then killed for their meat. 

In truly humane communities, everyone can obtain what they need for the animals in their lives. 

A scared, brown dogs sits huddled inside a dilapidated, wooden structure. A tight collar circles their neck and chains the dog to the their inadequate shelter. The dog peeks out from the shadows.

No animal should have to suffer the barbaric practice of dogfighting.

A man holds a community dog using the hand-catching technique on the street in Rishikesh, India,.

Whether they are unowned street animals, community animals or pets, dogs and cats worldwide face challenges to their welfare.

Our undercover investigators document abusive practices so that they can’t be ignored by the public and lawmakers.

NC Puppy Mill Rescue

Puppy mills are inhumane commercial dog breeding facilities that disregard dogs' health—both physical and emotional—in order to maximize profits.

A dog is one of the most common animals in shelters looking for help

Julia Gerasina/iStock.com

All Animals magazine

Animal shelters are in crisis

As people struggle to afford pet care, animal shelters are feeling the impact.

Read More

Dig deeper

Learn more about our efforts to improve life for companion animals and how to avoid unknowingly participating in cruelty.

Yorkie dogs in a puppy mill

News coverage of bad breeders is one of the ways we alert the public about the reality of puppy mills and encourage enforcement agencies to act.

Many dogs in small cage at commercial dog breeder farm

Over the last few decades, the AKC has become little more than a front for the puppy mill industry, one that serves the interests of large-scale mass breeders while charging them for certifications of pedigree and litter registrations.

The campaign to end declawing is a call to veterinarians to abandon a non-therapeutic procedure—once commonly performed—that is now recognized as inherently cruel by a large portion of the general public.

More and more municipalities are seeking effective strategies to manage community (feral and stray) cats and owned cats whose owners let them outside.

A volunteer holds a grey kitten as they prepare to examin them at a free RAVS clinic

By spaying or neutering your pet, you can help protect them against certain illnesses, perhaps address certain unwanted behaviors and save money. 

Take action

Help improve the lives of dogs and cats worldwide by taking action today. Your support can make a lasting impact on the care, well-being, and health of beloved companions everywhere.

Related Petitions to Issue
President Biden's cat Willow explores the White House
Ban the cruel and inhumane declawing of cats!

Declawing is a painful, irreversible surgical procedure that amputates part of a cat’s toes.

Mother dog huddles along side puppies in puppy mill
Urge the USDA to protect puppies

Puppies and mother dogs suffer in puppy mills and urgently deserve better conditions.

A man holds his dog at HSUS’s Rural Area Veterinary Services (RAVS) program, Taholah, Quinault Nation, WA.
Keep pets and their families together

Help us increase access to affordable veterinary care, pet food and pet-inclusive housing.

Haiti Street Dogs
Help dogs and cats on the streets

Millions of dogs and cats roam the streets worldwide.

Sick puppy at a Michigan Petland store
Petland cruelty exposed

Undercover investigations have unveiled terrible suffering in Petland stores.

A dog is chained up to a tree and looks pleadingly at the camera
End organized dogfighting

Dogs forced to fight for human entertainment suffer horrific injuries and sometimes death.

Sad dog in cage in Indiana toxicology lab
End dog testing

40,000 dogs are used in painful and often deadly experiments each year in the United States alone.

Other Actions You Can Take

Latest news

Site visits to the mobile field clinics in the north (spay/neuter and wellness) to observe clinic operations. Visited remote coastal communities known as “Caletas” surrounding Fray Jorge National Park and outreach to unhoused populations in Santiago.

Diana Rodriguez

Where are the best and worst countries to be a street dog this World Stray Animal Day?

WASHINGTON―In advance of World Stray Animal Day on 4 April, Humane World for Animals (formerly called Humane Society International) selects the five best and worst countries to be a dog living on the

Global
139 Senator Anna Bilotti visits dogs rescued from clandestine dog fights – they are given toys to help them improve their behavior.

Michi, Shrek e altri cani salvati dal circuito criminoso dei combattimenti hanno ricevuto la scorsa settimana le loro prime coccole istituzionali da parte della Senatrice Anna Bilotti (Movimento 5

Italy
Lucknow marks one 100,000 dog sterilization milestone with vibrant, educational murals at its Animal Birth Control center

LUCKNOW, India—Lucknow has achieved a major milestone in humane street dog management by completing one 100,000 dog sterilization surgeries under its Animal Birth Control program, jointly implemented

India

Your gift can do so much for animals in need

Start saving lives by making a one-time gift today. You can also help animals all year long with a monthly contribution.

Meredith Lee/Humane World for Animals