Animal Welfare

Cause Overview

Animal welfare organizations believe that as sentient beings, animals should be treated compassionately and humanely, and work to communicate this message to the public and impact behavior accordingly. There are thousands of animal welfare organizations in the United States that focus on different categories of animals, for example, companion animals (such as cats and dogs), wild animals, farm animals, animals in research, animals in entertainment, and so on.

While most animal welfare organizations are non-profit organizations funded by donations, some are city agencies, such as animal care and control -- often part of the police department -- that often bear responsibility for administering the city's animal population, including the unpleasant task of euthanizing them if necessary.

The two most important issues dealt with by animal welfare organizations are pet overpopulation and cruelty towards animals. As opposed to 'animal rights' organizations which tend to be more activist, animal welfare organizations tend to focus to a greater or lesser extent on the various components of these two issues through a variety of means, including rescue and adoption, behavior and training, veterinary services, education, anti-cruelty education and law enforcement, advocacy and legislation.

While larger animal welfare organizations often work in several of these areas, smaller organizations tend to focus on rescue and adoption. However, they are able to draw on the resources provided by larger organizations, which is a critical factor in their successful functioning. In turn, national animal welfare organizations are proud of being able to impact animal welfare issues on a local level by partnering with smaller, local organizations, while maintaining a national scope to their work.

Source: ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®)