The Next Pandemic isn’t Hitting People (Yet), but it’s Destroying our Birds!
With so much going on in the world, many people may not have heard about the Avian Flu sweeping across the world, infecting and leading to the deaths of millions of chickens, as well as wild birds. Just this week, Pennsylvania’s first reported cases cropped up in...
The Intersection of Social Work and Animal Welfare
A victim of domestic violence chooses to stay in an abusive situation because they do not want to leave their companion animal behind to be harmed. A veteran experiencing homelessness is forced to surrender their service dog because there are no pet friendly shelters....
March 2022 Member of the Month: Emma Wooten
Emma is HAP's event manager. She graduated Pitt with a BSBA in May 2021, and currently works in marketing in Pittsburgh. She was heavily involved in several service organizations in college, and was so excited to find HAP looking for an Events Manager volunteer. She...
Vegan on a Budget
Photo by Imants Kaziļuns on Unsplash This year, many Americans are struggling to adjust their food budgets as inflation raises prices on many everyday staples at the grocery story. Since veganism already has a reputation among many as an expensive lifestyle,...
How Trap, Neuter, Return Helps Community Cats
HAP blog readers, I’d like you to meet Jeffrey. As cozy as he looks here, he wasn’t always the chubby, spoiled house cat who adores his bed and snuggling with his humans. Not at all. Four years ago, he took up residence on our front porch in the bitter cold of...
The Link Between Animal Abuse and Domestic Violence
“It wasn’t just the cats and the dogs I had, it was the sheep and the chickens – I was terrified for their welfare. I knew if I were to leave, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill them. He had done it before.” (1), said Susan Walsh as she discussed her experiences. Susan’s...
Veganuary
Resolutions are long-standing traditions at this time of year. We all want to go into the new year focused on things we would like to accomplish, and goals we would like to achieve. For some people, that can mean a pledge to go vegan. Whether you are interested in...
2021 Compassionate Gifts Guide
It’s the holiday season, and that means gift-giving for many people. Do you have someone on your list who is vegetarian, vegan, or plant-based? Or, would you like to give more compassionate gifts this year? The following is a list of the best compassionate gifts for...

Cruel and Unusual Clothing
To many of us, the thought of a fur coat is abhorrent. It may conjure up images of Cruella DeVil going after all those sweet little puppies--although I think it’s noteworthy that in the new origin story of that notorious fashionista femme fetalle, Cruella (2021), the...

HAP Honors Pittsburgh’s Animal Protection Heroes
Imagine a world without animal suffering — a world where all beings are treated with compassion. That’s Humane Action Pittsburgh’s (HAP) vision and we can’t get there alone. On November 5, we’re celebrating six years of building 'America's Model Humane City' together...