Barking at the Knot

Barking at the Knot

Understanding the hidden history of animal services

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  • 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
  • The Battle of Island City Homes

    This week in Barking at the Knot, we have a guest post from fellow animal welfare worker and history lover Cole Wakefield. Cole is the Executive Director at Good Shepherd Humane Society and the Managing Advisor for Rural Humane. Hear about how some young boys fought to save their dog in Galveston, Texas in 1957.

    Audrey Lodato

    July 10, 2025
    1950s, Animal Welfare
    Animal Advocacy, animal control, Animal Welfare, animal-rights, dog catcher, dogs, history, Humane Movement, hydrophobia, pets, Rabies
  • How the Early Humane Movement Set a Precedent For Killing Animals

    Today, I am bringing you a brief article from the January 1915 edition of The National Humane Review, which was the monthly periodical of the American Humane Association. I recently attended a gathering where someone asked why killing animals in shelters continues to be an acceptable solution for population control. I answered that question by…

    Audrey Lodato

    June 30, 2025
    Animal Welfare
    ACOs, animal control, animal shelter, Animal Welfare, animals, dog catcher, dogs, Euthanasia, history, municipal shelter, pound, Rabies
  • In Their Own Words

    As the humane movement began to establish itself and spread westward, with humane societies establishing themselves alongside new states, we see a frequently used tactic in the efforts to educate around appropriate treatment for animals; Stories and literature written from the first hand perspective of the animal themselves. The theory was that through anthropomorphism, empathy…

    Audrey Lodato

    June 9, 2025
    1870s, 1880s, 1890s, Animal Welfare
    animal control, Animal Welfare, animals, beautiful joe, black beauty, books, collie, dog catcher, dogs, fiction, George Angell, history, horses, Massachusetts, our dumb animals, reading, tail docking

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