A new weapon to protect against tainted pet food

News and headlines for February 17 - 23, 2024

After dogs died of starvation, and others were living in filth on the verge of death in the Marlin, TX, dog pound, residents have been calling for the arrest of the Marlin police chief, city manager, and animal control officer who oversee the facility. Marlin’s mayor promised accountability but has so far refused to deliver. And a promised investigation by the Falls County Sheriff’s Office has not materialized. Sheriff Joe Lopez said that the dogs were not a priority. However, after meeting with Marlin residents, Texas Governor Greg Abbott is reviewing the case. He told a local news reporter that “the Marlin Animal Shelter investigation is now one of his top priorities.”

In other news: saving community cats, banning housing discrimination for renters with pets, why killing is up even though “shelter” intakes are down, shelter job opportunities, protecting your pet from tainted food recalls, a No Kill encyclopedia, humane society staff pleads guilty to killing, the death of an animal rights icon, and more.

These are some of the stories making headlines in animal protection:

AB 1226, legislation introduced in California, would prohibit “no pet” clauses in rental housing. The bill’s details, including exceptions, are still being worked out, but legislation of this kind is sorely needed. 

Landlord-imposed pet restrictions in the United States are widespread:

In a nationwide survey of landlords, approximately 47% of rental housing did not allow pets and only 9% of pet-friendly units allowed pets without limitations on type or size. Large dogs were welcome in only 11% of rental housing. Meanwhile, pet-friendly rentals had a 20 to 30% rent premium, costing on average $222 more per month than rentals that did not allow pets.” In some cities, the situation is worse: more than half of all rental units in Los Angeles did not allow any pets at all. In one survey, “only 212 out of 612 apartment listings allowed dogs.”

This negatively impacts adoptions, increases relinquishment, causes homelessness (for people and animals), and results in wasteful expenditures as renters must pay a premium for housing that allows their animal companions. The No Kill Advocacy Center has long called for state and federal legislation to ban housing discrimination for families with animal companions.

Those who oppose legislation cite concerns about allergies, noise, and property damage, which are easily and cost-effectively addressed. Moreover, landlords who allow pets have longer-term tenants, lower vacancy rates, and higher profits. Even tenants who don’t want an animal companion are overwhelmingly in support of allowing animals in the buildings in which they reside. In the U.S., a housing discrimination ban would allow over eight million additional animals to find new homes yearly, roughly ten years of killing.

The No Kill Advocacy Center’s “Pets are Family Fair Housing Act” is model legislation.

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A new report finds shelter intakes in 2023 were still below pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, 6.8 million dogs and cats entered U.S. shelters. In 2023, that number was down to 6.5 million. And yet, despite lower intakes, dog killing is up 12% from pre-pandemic levels. Cat deaths, by contrast, are down 31% from pre-pandemic levels but up from 2022.