Avanzino in 23 years at the San Francisco SPCA helped to create the “no kill movement,” but in 17 years as founding president of Maddie’s Fund tended to discredit the concept PLEASANTON, California––Maddie’s Fund on September 29, 2026––nine days after Richard Avanzino’s actual death, announced that “Rich Avanzino, affectionately and widely known as the father […]
Pit bull advocates owe Michael Vick bigtime, at victims’ expense
Can victim advocacy restore integrity to the humane cause? WASHINGTON, D.C.––The 2007 conviction of football star Michael Vick for dogfighting helped hundreds of animal welfare executives and their minions to get filthy rich. Yet the animal advocacy groups pocketing the money did little, if anything, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the April 20, […]
Maddie’s Fund scraps model shelter plan
Model shelter is no shelter at all PLEASANTON, California––The long-awaited state-of-the-art Maddie’s Fund teaching and training shelter turns out to be no shelter at all. Whether this reflects a change in the Maddie’s Fund thinking about how best to transition the U.S. to no-kill animal control is unclear, but the decision to scrap the notion […]