Extreme winter weather can put lives at risk and for people with pets, accessing warmth and safety isn’t always simple. Recognizing this challenge, the Franklin County Dog Shelter and Adoption Center is stepping in to help.

During periods of dangerously cold weather, the shelter is providing free, short-term emergency boarding for dogs belonging to Franklin County residents who are entering local warming centers. This service ensures that people can seek shelter without worrying about the safety of their pets.

As spring approaches in Ohio, wildlife activity naturally increases. Animals like raccoons, skunks, bats, and groundhogs begin searching for safe, sheltered places to nest—sometimes inside attics, decks, garages, or sheds.

That’s why Ohio Animal Advocates is pleased to highlight TLC Wildlife Management, Central Ohio’s only wildlife service provider offering exclusively non-lethal solutions for wildlife conflicts.

Cold weather doesn’t mean Trap-Neuter-Return has to stop. With the right preparation, winter can be a safe and effective time to continue helping community cats—often with fewer complications than during warmer months.

If you’re planning TNR during winter, a few thoughtful adjustments can make all the difference for the cats’ comfort and safety.

Nearly half of U.S. households have a dog—but many families don’t realize their puppy may have come from a commercial dog breeding operation known as a puppy mill.

Ohio Animal Advocates values your voice. Your feedback helps us strengthen our advocacy, improve transparency, and better serve animals across Ohio. We’ve launched our 2025 Constituent Feedback Survey to learn what’s working, what can improve, and which animal protection issues matter most to you.

A Bucyrus man has been sentenced to jail after pleading guilty to multiple counts of animal cruelty, underscoring both the seriousness of neglect cases and the importance of enforcement when animals are harmed.

The animal welfare community lost a true pioneer with the passing of Dr. W. Marvin Mackie, D.V.M., who died peacefully on September 23, 2025, at the age of 87. A veterinarian, teacher, innovator, and tireless advocate, Dr. Mackie’s work transformed the way spay/neuter services are delivered—and in doing so, saved the lives of countless animals.

Brigitte Bardot made one of the most consequential exits in modern celebrity history. At the height of her fame, she walked away from the spotlight entirely—not to reinvent herself, but to devote her life to animals.

There are many ideas for holiday gifts, from insipid to inspired. One of the best would be to give a shelter dog or cat a forever home, but only if you have room in your heart and your life. One of the worst gift ideas would be a surprise pet. That adorable fuzzy face under the tree or next to the menorah will live another decade or more. By all means adopt if you can! Just do it as a thoroughly considered commitment, not as spontaneous gesture. Live animals are not merely things to be given for surprise and delight. They have feelings, emotions, and needs. 

Transportation is one of the most physically demanding and stressful experiences a horse can endure. Yet for decades, horses have been moved long distances in trailers that were never designed with their size, posture, or safety in mind. Among the most concerning of these are double-deck livestock trailers.

As of December 31, 2025, Ohio officially became the 11th state to restrict the use of gestational crates for pigs—marking the end of a 15-year effort to improve animal welfare standards in one of the nation’s leading pork-producing states

When four new portraits were unveiled at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, they honored individuals whose work reshaped American history and culture. Among them was Temple Grandin—a woman whose influence spans animal welfare, science, and how society understands autism.