FRANKFORT, Ky. - Sen. Tom Buford, who for more than a decade has fought an uphill battle in the state Legislature to improve Kentucky's animal-protection laws, is not surprised that Kentucky ranks worst in the nation at protecting animals.

The 2015 rankings by the Animal Legal Defense Fund place Kentucky 50th for the ninth straight year. Buford blamed it on a culture in parts of Kentucky where he said people believe they should be able to treat an animal however they want.

"We look like a backwards state," he said. "You know, it just shows that we don't have that much respect for the life of others - and I would include that to being human beings. If they would treat an animal like that, they probably would not be that friendly to humans. I think it's terrible."

Buford, R-Nicholasville, said he was "lucky" to get a law passed in 2008 that made it a low-level felony, in some cases, to torture a dog or cat. A public outcry over videotape of a man in Pulaski County cruelly beating his dog fueled the push for action. However, Buford said there's still a reluctance in many courts to convict.

Animal Legal Defense Fund attorney Lora Dunn said the absence of felony provisions for the neglect or abandonment of animals is one reason Kentucky's laws are the worst in the nation.

"These animals that are being denied basic care, like food and water - their suffering is really prolonged," she said. "It can go on for months of years. We believe that the penalty should fit the crime."

Dunn said Kentucky is the only state where veterinarians are prohibited from reporting suspected cruelty or fighting.

"That's really such an important component of helping these animal victims," she said, "so we would encourage Kentucky to make a change and actually require veterinarians to report cruelty."

Buford agreed, saying a vet often can tell if an animal has been abused.

"That would be a good one to have in there, basically, to stop all this dog fighting here," he said. "And, of course, the other issue is the horses. A lot of horses around here are extremely mistreated - Tennessee walking horses."

While Kentucky ranks worst in the nation for animal-protection laws, neighboring Illinois has the best laws, according to the 2015 report.

The report is online at aldf.org.


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Pork producers are expected to argue against California's animal welfare laws at a hearing Wednesday before the House Committee on Agriculture.

The witnesses all oppose California's Proposition 12, which establishes minimum space requirements for egg-laying hens and breeding pigs and bans the sale of products failing to comply with those standards.

Wayne Pacelle, president of the advocacy group Animal Wellness Action, said factory farms have too much influence on the federal government.

"The American public doesn't support confining an animal so severely that she can't even turn around," Pacelle asserted. "These crates and cages that they jam breeding sows and laying hens into don't give the animals any opportunity to move."

Across the country, 1,200 producers already comply with Proposition 12 and currently supply pork and eggs to California, according to a report released this week by Animal Wellness Action.

Last week, the Department of Justice sued the State of California, seeking to invalidate parts of Proposition 12, arguing the standards are expensive to implement and drive up the cost of eggs.

Pacelle noted avian flu reduced the supply of eggs and drove up prices. He added California pork and egg producers have already spent millions to comply with Proposition 12.

"The egg producers in California want to keep that law," Pacelle contended. "They don't want to be undercut by cheap eggs coming from Mexico or Iowa, where the animals are jammed, wing to wing, shoulder to shoulder, and can't even move. I mean, giving the animal space may cost a couple of pennies more, but it's what's right."

Congress is considering whether the next Farm Bill should include a proposal to invalidate many state animal welfare laws. The Food Security and Farm Protection Act would overturn Proposition 12 and similar laws in other states.


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A new "Compassion Calculator" launched by the charity portal FarmKind aims to help Coloradans who eat meat improve their animal welfare footprints by funneling small donations to verified nonprofits, similar to how polluting companies buy offsets to reduce their carbon footprints.

Thom Norman, cofounder of FarmKind, said the calculator makes it easy for anyone to help end the controversial practice of factory farming, where large numbers of animals are confined in small spaces to produce dairy, eggs and meat as cheaply as possible.

"Most people agree that factory farming is bad, almost half of people in America say that they want to see a ban on new factory farms," Norman reported. "But people often don't know what they can do to help with this problem."

Proponents of factory farming have argued it is necessary to meet growing demand from a rising global population but Norman believes the marketplace is shifting. One recipient of the donations, The Humane League, led successful campaigns to get McDonald's, Panera, Starbucks and Taco Bell to stop using eggs from hens confined in cages so small, birds could not stretch their wings or stand upright.

The shift to cage-free eggs has accelerated after 11 states, including Colorado, set regulations on so-called conventional eggs and the recent bird flu crisis, which led to the loss of more than 125 million U.S. hens.

Norman argued the crowded, high stress conditions in cages are not only inhumane, they also present a clear risk of rapid disease transmission.

"It also is a major driver of public health risks, like for example, antibiotic resistant diseases," Norman stressed. "We feed three quarters of all antibiotics to animals."

FarmKind recently announced its first partnership with a major restaurant chain to use the calculator at scale. Animal welfare effects are offset by three cents per hamburger, and just two cents for an omelet. Norman estimated a three cent offset on last year's global burger sales, less than the cost of a ketchup packet, would have generated nearly $80 million to help create a more humane food system.


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Minnesota's transition to the warmer months has been rough when factoring in air quality.

Just like in 2023, there are occasional bouts of unhealthy smoke from Canadian wildfires and animal experts said pets need protection, too. The American Humane Society said just like their owners, the respiratory systems of dogs and cats can suffer when smoky conditions come on strong.

Dr. Thomas Edling, chief veterinary officer of the Humane Society, said dogs need their outside time on a daily basis but when the air quality is bad, it should to be limited to mainly bathroom breaks. He discussed complications with dogs unable to resist running around.

"Younger dogs, especially, are very prone to doing that," Edling observed. "And when do that, you just make the situation worse, because you are breathing more air in quickly, more particulate matter, things like that."

He added owners should avoid activities like playing fetch during brief outdoor moments with their dog. The Humane Society said older pets and certain breeds, including French bulldogs and pugs, are more susceptible to poor air quality and require extra vigilance.

Edling echoed guidance from other health experts who said when the air is filled with smoke, pet owners should keep their windows and doors closed. If a pet's food and water bowl is normally placed outside, they need to be brought in.

"Those will be a collection point for the particulate matter in the air as it falls down and that debris will contaminate the food and the water," Edling pointed out.

After any outdoor activity, owners are encouraged to monitor their pet for coughing, sneezing and difficulty breathing. If the animal shows signs it breathed in too much unhealthy air, a veterinarian should be consulted for possible treatment.


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