Barking at the Knot

Barking at the Knot

Understanding the hidden history of animal services

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  • The History of Pets as Gifts: It’s Complicated.

    The controversy around giving pets as gifts didn’t develop for the reasons you might think. Check out how the concept has been viewed and how it has changed over the last 100 years.

    Audrey Lodato

    December 18, 2025
    Animal Welfare
    1990s, Accountability, animal control, Animal Welfare, animal welfare history, animals, Cats, dog, dogs, history, pets, Pets as gifts, Rabies, Spay and neuter, the humane movement
  • “Those Dissatisfied with the Conduct of Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals”: The Henry Bergh Society, Part One

    Advocacy can get ugly. Read about the Henry Bergh Humane Society and their efforts to oust A.S.P.C.A. President John P. Haines from his post in the early 1900s.

    Audrey Lodato

    November 12, 2025
    1900s, Animal Welfare
    animal control, Animal Welfare, animal welfare history, animals, ASPCA, bible, books, Cats, christianity, dogs, genealogy, Henry Bergh, history, Humane Law, Humane Movement, hydrophobia, Investigative journalism, Muckracking, New York City, pets, The Henry Bergh Humane Society
  • Number of Dogs Removed: 201

    The history of intakes as a measure of a shelter’s success continues to influence the way we perceive the most important functions of animal services.

    Audrey Lodato

    October 22, 2025
    1900s, Animal Welfare
    ACOs, advocacy, american history, Animal Advocacy, animal control, Animal Rights History, animal shelter, animal shelter history, Animal sheltering, animal shelters, Animal Welfare, animal welfare history, animal-rights, animals, ASPCA, barking-at-the-knot, books, Cats, Compassionate animal care, Cruelis, Cruelism, cruelty, dog, dog catcher, Dog catchers, dogs, Early animal welfare movement, Ethics, Euthanasia, evolution, health, Henry Bergh, historical policy, history, History of Animal Welfare, Humane education, Humane exhibits., Humane Movement, hydrophobia, Impeachment, industrial revolution, John P. Haines, leaders, level setting, Livesaving, mandatory impoundment, Mercy to Animals, Morals, municipal shelter, New York City, new york times, news, newspapers, Periodicals, pets, philosophy, pound, Printing Press, Progress, public private partnerships, Rabies, Raising the bar, shelter intake, Shelter Reform, Social media, societal change, societal expectations, storytelling, strays, the future, the humane movement, The Importance of Level Setting in Animal Welfare, writing
  • Elsie Booth: No Dog Secured For Bone Grafting

    In 1897, a small child permanently disfigured by a fall set off a debate about vivisection in the New York Tribune when doctors wanted to use dog bones from a shelter dog to repair her legs.

    Audrey Lodato

    October 15, 2025
    1890s, Animal Welfare
    American Anti-Vivisection Society, American Humane Association, animal control, Animal rights, animal shelters, Animal Welfare, animal welfare history, animals, Anti-vivisection, ASPCA, Caroline Earle White, Cats, dogs, experimentation, history, hydrophobia, mary Frances Lovell, New York Tribune, PSPCA, Rabies, shelter animals, Shelter pets, the humane movement, Vivisection, WBPSPCA
  • Pussy Must Be Tagged; The S.P.C.A. Now Collects Dog Licenses

    In 1895 as part of the transition to a public-private partnership to take on animal control, the ASPCA began enforcing the new dog licensing laws in New York City. Understanding why it happened is crucial to understanding why we still do it.

    Audrey Lodato

    September 18, 2025
    1890s, Animal Welfare
    ACOs, animal control, animal control officers, animal services, Animal sheltering, animal shelters, Animal Welfare, animal welfare history, animals, Cats, dog, Dog licenses, dog pounds, dogs, history, hydrophobia, licenses, new york, New York City, pets, Pounds, Rabies, Stray dogs, strays, the humane movement
  • A Shelter for Animals

    In 1895, the ASPCA had taken over animal control for the city of New York. This cemented a path for a more humane model of public – private partnership. Tour their shelter via a New York Times article.

    Audrey Lodato

    September 17, 2025
    1890s, Animal Welfare
    #HenryBergh #ASPCAHistory #AmericanHumane #19thCenturyActivism #VictorianEra #AnimalWelfarePioneers #HumaneMovement, animal control, animal shelter history, animal shelters, Animal Welfare, animal welfare history, animals, ASPCA, Brooklyn, Cats, dog, dogs, Henry Bergh, history, hydrophobia, john p haines, New York City, pets, pound, Pounds, Rabies, stray dog, strays

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