Barking at the Knot

Understanding the hidden history of animal services

S.P.C.A. Refuses Animals For Vivisection

In 1932, a proposed ordinance change in San Francisco suggested animals from their shelter be released to medical colleges for experimentation.

Audrey Lodato

April 25, 2026

1930s, Animal Welfare

advocacy, American Humane Association, animal control, Animal Experimentation, Animal Testing, Animal Welfare, animals, ASPCA, California, Cats, Direct Action Everywhere, dogs, DXE, history, hydrophobia, National Humane review, news, pets, politics, Pound Seizure, Pound Seizure Laws, Ridglan Farms, San Francisco, William O Stillman
“Lay Low and Say Nuffin’”: The Henry Bergh Humane Society, Part Four

A bill is introduced in Albany to give the Henry Bergh Humane Society the legal right to enforce the law in New York City. Opinions in the papers heat up.

Audrey Lodato

November 26, 2025

1910s, Animal Welfare

A.S.P.C.A., Albany, animal control, Animal Welfare, animals, ASPCA, Barking at the Knot, Cats, dogs, Gilded Age, history, horses, Humane Movement, hydrophobia, John P. Haines, Muckracking, news, pets, politics, Rabies, The Henry Bergh Humane Society, The Newspapers, writing
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
“Mercy to Animals Means Mercy to Mankind.”

Of all the founders of the animal welfare movement, none were so colorful in their public application of the first anti-cruelty laws as Henry Bergh, the founder of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in New York. Fairly, he had a right to be colorful with the law; He is the…

Audrey Lodato

May 20, 2025

Animal Welfare

Animal Welfare, animal-rights, animals, ASPCA, Carriage Horses, Henry Bergh, history, Mercy to Animals, New York City, news, travel, Victorian New York

S.P.C.A. Refuses Animals For Vivisection

“Lay Low and Say Nuffin’”: The Henry Bergh Humane Society, Part Four

Number of Dogs Removed: 201

“Mercy to Animals Means Mercy to Mankind.”