Animal Humane Society history

June 9, 1880Records dated June 9, 1880, confirm that the first fine levied by San Diego Humane Society was for $2 against “Mr.

In June 1882, the Minneapolis SPCA, now named the Society for the Prevent of Cruelty to Children and Animals, set up office in the Lumber Exchange building, and hired its first humane agent, Wilbur Tatro.

1883 Concerned about child abuse and abandoned babies, American Humane promoted the passage of the first Cruelty to Children Act.

1885 American Humane advocated for “humane fountains” — still found in many city squares today — as one of many improvements in the care of fire department, police, and postal horses.

1891 American Humane launched a national campaign to draw attention to the increasing crime of infanticide.

An excerpt from the Minneapolis Humane Society’s first annual report in 1892 shows the kind of work the early organizations focused on.

1893 American Humane's member societies prosecuted 5,520 cases of cruelty to children.

1894 The Link® between violence toward animals and violence toward people was first mentioned at American Humane's annual convention: “The man who was cruel to his beast would be unkind to his wife and child.”

1898 Responding to intense pressure from American Humane, Congress passed a bill prohibiting the practice of vivisection (dissection of live animals) in schools and placed scientists who perform the procedure under governmental regulation and supervision.

1902 Along with the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union, American Humane formed a major committee to limit child labor in the emerging textile industry in the South.

1905 American Humane headquarters established in an abandoned hospital in suburban Albany, N.Y. Prior to this, the organization had no regular office, no furniture, and no paid employees.

1910 American Humane joined in partnership with local police forces to prevent the abuse of workhorses and assist in cruelty investigations.

In addition, the building contained a larger adoption area, kennels, a special puppy section, and cat “condos,” as well as a modern administration wing and education center. It began with the opening of our first veterinary facility, a horse dispensary on Manhattan’s 24th Street, in 1912.

1913 American Humane's quarterly magazine, The National Humane Review, was published for the first time.

1915 American Humane initiated Be Kind to Animals Week® and launched a national poster contest for children.

1916 The United States Secretary of War invited American Humane “to undertake the work of doing for Army animals what the American Red Cross is doing for soldiers.” American Humane created American Red Star Animal Relief to rescue wounded horses on the battlefields of World War I.

1920 After the war, the Red Star program turned its attention to rescuing animals caught in disaster areas, and provided money to purchase feed that saves thousands of elk in Yellowstone National Park from starving to death.

1925 American Humane set up a committee to investigate cruelties in the training of animals for the movies.

1931 American Humane approved a set of standards for child protection societies, which urged them to maintain the privacy rights of the children and adults they serve and to employ professional caseworkers.

1933 American Humane launched a campaign to end the practice of giving children dyed chicks as Easter gifts.

1937 The Mississippi River flooded and American Humane's Red Star Animal Relief helped rescue and feed stranded farm animals.

1941 American Humane established standards of operation for animal protection societies.

1943 The National Education Association and American Humane launched a campaign asking teachers throughout the United States to refrain from any kind of hatred in education and to protect children from racial or religious taunts.

1946 Red Star responded when a strike by railroad workers left animals across the country stranded on trains with no one to move them or unload them.

1947 American Humane started training programs for professional in humane fields.

1950 American Humane issued Standards for Child Protective Services Agencies, which clearly defined physical abuse, neglect and emotional abuse and identified a three-stage process of child protective work, including fact-finding, diagnosis and treatment.

1951 American Humane’s Western Regional Office created a “stamp of approval” awarded to films committed to humane practices in filming animals.

1954 As American Humane’s influences grew nationwide, it moved its headquarters from Albany, N.Y. to Denver.

1955 American Humane published detailed guidelines on child protection standards and practices for child welfare practitioners, educators, and administrators.

1956 Vincent De Francis, director of Children’s Services at American Humane, published the results of the first national inventory of child protective services, which provided comprehensive report of the state of child welfare practice in the United States.

1957 American Humane published No Substitute for Child Protection and Interpreting Child Protective Services to Your Community by Vincent De Francis, aimed at broadening public understanding of child protection.

1959 The Royal SPCA in England and American Humane formed the International Society for the Protection of Animals.

1960 Vincent De Francis helped update the Child Welfare League of America’s standards for child protective services, which establish federal standards and funding for county and state welfare.

1961 American Humane published Protective Services and Community Expectations by Vincent De Francis, which set the stage for community engagement in child protection.

1963 American Humane proposed that all 50 states pass laws requiring doctors who discover injuries inflicted on children to report the cases to child protective services.

1966 The Supreme Court disbanded the Hays Office, which gave American Humane its jurisdiction on movie sets.

1967 Red Star sent aid to help animals abandoned or left homeless after the Detroit riots.

1972 American Humane’s first “No Animals Were Harmed”® end credit was issued to the movie The Doberman Gang.

1976 With a grant from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, American Humane began its National Study on Child Neglect and Abuse reporting in every state, collecting and analyzing child abuse reports to determine their characteristics.

1979 American Humane published its third nationwide survey of child protective services.

1983 At American Humane’s urging, the United States House of Representatives established the Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families.

1986 American Humane research revealed a five-year increase in child sexual abuse reports of 170 percent, prompting the organization to develop its child sexual abuse curriculum for child protective service workers.

1989 The Meacham Foundation Memorial Grant allowed American Humane to being awarding grants to shelters to provide financial assistance for building expansion or improvements that directly impact the welfare of animals.

In honor of the 75th anniversary of Be Kind to Animals Week, Congress passed a resolution declaring May 6-12, 1990 Be Kind to Animals and National Pet Week.

In 1991, the Humane Society of Hennepin County opened an addition that nearly doubled the size of the Animal Care Center.

1994 American Humane was a founding member of the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, which gathered data on pets in the United States to help reduce the number of homeless pets.

1998 American Humane initiated a Humane Dog-Training Task Force to establish national standards to humane training of dogs.

It was renamed “Wine Dinner” in 2000.

2001 After terrorists attacked the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, American Humane’s Red Star® Animal Emergency Services delivered supplies and equipment to New York City and provided medical examinations, care and decontamination for search-and-rescue dogs.

2002After a year-long delay caused by a fire just before opening, the County Department of Animal Services opened its doors in 2002.

San Diego Humane Society began demolition of the old Department of Animal Services structures and moved into its new buildings on the site in September 2003.

In the Spring of 2004, renovation was completed on the new Spay/Neuter Vet clinic at the shelter.

2006 American Humane hosted its first differential response conference.

2008 Denver Pet Partners, an animal-assisted therapy organization, became a program of American Humane.

2010 Along with other animal welfare organizations, American Humane joined the Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti to provide funding and emergency response services for animals affected by the earthquake.

2012 Launched the Children’s Innovation Institute to improve the welfare, wellness and well-being of America’s children.