The Humane Society of the United States history

To inform constituents of the organization's activities, The HSUS established a bimonthly newsletter, HSUS News, in April 1955.

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.

The HSUS was not an anti-vivisection society, Myers explained in 1958.

One outcome of the investigations was a legal complaint filed in California in 1959 to protect laboratory animals from abuses prohibited by law.

Beginning in 1960 local humane societies were allowed to affiliate with The HSUS when they met certain standards of operation.

Glenn Matsumoto (standing) and David Rask (sitting) were the 1961 winners of the local contest.

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.

The five-year investigation into the multilayered trade in dogs paid off in February 1966 when Life published a photo-essay of a raid conducted on a Maryland dog dealer's premises by McMahon and the state police.

The 25,000-square-foot Animal Care Center opened on April 1, 1967, at the same site as the current Golden Valley shelter.

1970 American Humane tackled pet overpopulation, suggesting that owners spay or neuter their animals.

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

The Bureau of Land Management, the federal agency responsible for enforcing the Wild and Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act, was investigated in 1973 for improperly administering the law.

The organization's work included investigations into organized dog fighting, promoting the enactment of felony penalties against these activities in many states; the first law was passed in 1975.

In 1976 The HSUS established disaster relief plans to protect pets and their caregivers during an emergency.

1977 American Humane celebrated its centennial.

The first state law to ban cockfighting passed in 1978.

By 1979 the organization's membership included 115,000 people, the staff counted 80 employees, and the budget approached $2 million.

1980 The public outcry over the callous disregard for animal safety and well-being during the filming of Heaven’s Gate resulted in the film industry reinstating American Humane’s authority to protect animals on set, through a contractual agreement with the Screen Actors Guild.

1981 American Humane celebrated its first annual Adopt-A-Dog Month®, to encourage the adoption of dogs from local animal shelters.

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

1984 The first issue of American Humane’s journal child welfare professionals, Protecting Children, is published.

The HSUS created the Center for Respect of Life and Environment (CRLE) in 1986 to promote humane values and collaboration in the fields of higher education, religion, the professions, and the arts.

1988: The "Be a P.A.L.--Prevent a Litter" and "Shame of Fur" campaigns are launched.

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 Society hosted its first Animal Care Expo, which grew to be the world's largest trade show for animal care professionals.

In 1992 The HSUS established Humane Society International (HSI). HSI's first work involved addressing the problem of animals and birds confiscated in the illegal wildlife trade.

Agricultural campaigns included National Farms Animals Awareness Week, launched in 1993.

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.

In 1995 The HSUS created the Wildlife Land Trust.

The HSUS promoted understanding of wild creatures living in cities through a newsletter, Wild Neighbor News, and through the 1997 publication of Wild Neighbors: The Humane Approach to Living with Wildlife.

The HSUS Urban Wildlife Sanctuary Program was launched in 1998 to promote the protection and appreciation of wild animals living in urban areas.

1999 American Humane’s first Tag Day™ was celebrated to help lost pets get reunited with owners.

The Pets for Life project expanded in 2000 with the formation of the Pets for Life National Training Center.

In October 2001, The HSUS won a victory with the passage of the Humane Slaughter Act Amendment.

2002 Red Star responded to the Rodeo-Chediski fire in Arizona, the largest wildfire in Arizona history.

2003 In response to the fatal shooting of a family dog in Tennessee, American Humane created “Bark…Stop, Drop & Roll,” a training to teach law enforcement officers safe dog handling.

2005 Red Star Animal Emergency Services deployed to Louisiana to help animal victims of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma.

2006 American Humane hosted its first differential response conference.

2007 American Humane established the Child Protection Research Center to address long-standing issues related to the improvement of public child protective services.

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

2009 UNICEF chose American Humane’s Child Protection Research Center and its partner, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, to work on its international household surveys on child discipline.

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.

2011 Established the Animal Welfare Research Institute to explore and achieve advances in predictive, preventive and participatory methods to save animals’ lives and improve their quality of life.

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

Celebrated the launch of a powerful new voice for children and animals – the new, bipartisan “Congressional Humane Bond Caucus” – and hosted three Capitol Hill briefings in 2015.