National Animal Advocacy Day

National Animal Advocacy Day is observed annually on April 30th in order to recognize a cause that’s very close to our hearts.

It's all about being an entity known to your legislators. A staggering amount of messages flow through legislative offices, and the way many offices treat and prioritize these messages is to categorize them according to the sender's perceived "value." They want to see that you're getting involved in politics: here's what they're looking for and how you can transform yourself from a mere voice in the crowd to a valued member whose opinions are sought after and respected!

1. Register to vote and actually vote, especially in primaries.

Lawmakers want to stay in office, which means they want to hear from their constituents not people living outside of their county and they really want to hear from people who actually determine whether they keep their jobs: voters. When you send any emails for your elected official, it will be often cross-referenced your information with county voting records to see if you are a voter and more valuable active voters for them versus someone who asked for everything but had no record of voting. We're sorry to say that, but if you're not a voter, your message probably won't get much attention.

2. Sign up to receive e-newsletters automatically

Another way legislators see if you're in is to check your email address against their internal list. Most of all they send periodic emails, which you can sign up to receive from their official websites. Find your federal and state legislators here, then visit their websites and opt-in to receive emails! These emails will also notify you of opportunities to meet with your legislators, which bring us.

3. Attend “town hall” (live) forums in your community.

Whether it's a formal Q&A held at your local library or a more casual get-together at a coffee shop, city, state, and federal legislators often hold conferences in the county to capture the pulse of their constituents. These events are the perfect opportunity to become a familiar face to legislators and their staff and, of course, to raise animal welfare issues. Public speaking isn't easy for many people, but the more you do it, the easier it becomes and in this case, it's often simply a conversation you're having with his representative.

4. Join the ASPCA Advocacy Group and take action on our Advocacy Alerts.

We'll let you know when animal-friendly legislation is pending where you live, provide you with specific actions you can take, and offer exchange points for use with your elected officials. Take action after enrolling you in the Advocacy Team. Start now: The US Food Export Self-Defense Act (SAFE), which would ban the slaughter of horses and the export of American horses for slaughter, has just been introduced in the US House of Representatives. Our web beacons allow you to quickly and easily contact your members of Congress on behalf of the bill.

What do you do in National Animal Advocacy Day?

• Hoof it for horses: Horse slaughter is a ruthless, unnecessary predatory industry that has no domestic market and threatens human health. The SAFETY Act would permanently ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption in the United States and end the current export of horses for slaughter. Join advocates from around the country in combating this utopian practice by signing our SAFE Act Citizen Co-Sponsor List today. This list will be passed along to key decision-makers in Congress in an effort to encourage them to pass this much-needed bill into law once and for all.
• Protecting Puppies: In the fact, dogs in most commercial breeding factories have to endure unimaginable suffering, crammed into small, wired floor cages and without veterinary care, food and water. Do not forget to join the Fight for Love to prevent against cruelty!

To help end cruel farming, we must cut demand as well as supply. Unfortunately, most puppies of pet stores are imported from puppy mills. If you live in New York, support legislation makes it the third state to ban the sale of dogs and cats in pet stores. Together, we can change everything with different results in all states.

• Care for kittens: During spring and summer, there are large numbers of kittens in shelters. However, you can help us turn kitten season into foster season! We need foster parents to expand their homes and hearts with tiny kittens until they're old enough to be adopted. How about taking part in our foster programs in New York or Los Angeles to learn more?
• Farm Animal Competition: Every year billions of animals are raised for food on crowded, inhumane factory farms. However, some simple changes to the way you shop can transfer a powerful message to manufacturers that you care about the treatment of cows, pigs, chickens, and more.