Expert veterinary care for every stage of your pet’s life.
Emergency: 617-522-7282
Poison Control: 888-426-4435
Bringing pets and people together.
Advocate for animals, volunteer, or get help for your pet with our compassionate community services.
Since its founding in 1868, the MSPCA-Angell has worked to relieve suffering, prevent cruelty, and develop a just and compassionate society. Although these goals remain constant, societal change, technological advancement, and growth in human understanding dictate continual re-evaluation and redefinition of their implications for our work. Our Statements of Belief represent an application of the MSPCA-Angell’s Mission Statement to the major animal-related issues and concerns of today.
The MSPCA-Angell believes that the best approach for training and behavior modification is with rewards-based methodologies. We philosophically oppose those that use aversive stimuli. To this end, we do not recommend the use of force in animal training as it can cause pain, injury, and/or mental suffering for the animal. Additionally, scientific evidence shows that identifying the cause of problem behavior, designing alternative behaviors, and controlling the environment to reduce instances of the behavior using primarily positive reinforcement, desensitization, and counterconditioning, produces the fewest side effects such as increased fear and/or aggression. In some cases, medication is appropriate to increase the effectiveness of training.
The MSPCA-Angell believes that the “Five Freedoms” should be incorporated into the behavior and training activity with all owned animals and those being cared for in adoption centers.
Therefore, the MSPCA-Angell will:
The MSPCA-Angell recognizes that people depend on animals for many reasons.
Service Animal: Animals can help individuals with disabilities lead more independent lives by assisting them in the performance of everyday tasks that would otherwise be difficult or impossible. Animals can assist individuals who have physical, visual, or hearing limitations. For example, service animals can assist with tasks such as traveling from one point to another, answering doors and telephones, and retrieving articles. They also can alert owners to potentially dangerous situations such as fire or intruders. The MSPCA-Angell believes that when animals are trained and used to assist humans in this way, it is critical that the needs of the animals, as well as the people, are met.
Therapeutic Program Animal: Animals that are introduced into a variety of settings, including hospitals, shelters, and nursing homes, so that the bond between human/companion and animal is utilized as part of therapeutic programs. The resulting programs have integrated pets and animals into the care and treatment of many diverse populations. The MSPCA-Angell believes when owned animals are trained and used to assist humans in this way, it is critical that the needs of the animals, as well as the people, are met.
Emotional Support Animal (ESA): Animals whose presence provides emotional support in order to help an individual with a disability. Unlike service animals, ESAs are not trained to perform a task or service, but whose companionship helps alleviate the owner’s symptoms of a disability.
While Service Animals are governed under the Americans with Disabilities Act which allows them to accompany owners into public spaces, ESAs are allowed, as required by federal law, in the housing context in most circumstances.
We believe it is a problem when people misrepresent animals as assistance animals when they are not. This can lead to confusion and possible hardship for people with legitimate assistance animals.
In order for an assistance animal and its owner to have a successful relationship, the MSPCA-Angell believes that the following criteria must be met:
1. The animal must be a domestic animal that is evaluated and deemed suitable medically, behaviorally, and temperamentally. 2. The owner of the animal or another designated person must accept responsibility for seeing that the animal’s medical, physical, behavioral, and psychological needs are met.
Organized programs that provide assistance animals should adhere to the above criteria as well as the following guidelines:
1. The selection of animals to be used as assistance animals should be based on knowledge of their specific physical, behavioral, and psychological characteristics. 2. The animal should be able to carry out desired tasks without invasive physical manipulation such as teeth pulling or debarking. 3. Sterilization of the animal is highly recommended. 4. Programs that provide temporary housing and care for assistance animals should ensure that the needs of the animals are being properly met during this period. 5. The welfare of the animal involved should be of equal concern and considered just as important as the welfare of the clients involved in the program. 6. Program implementation and operations should be of the highest level of quality, compliant with all applicable state and federal regulations, and in compliance with program client regulations. 7. Training of animals to perform tasks for their owners should be based on positive reinforcement rather than on physical punishment such as striking, choking, or electric shock. 8. Humane disposition should be assured for animals who fail to qualify for the program or become unable to perform required tasks. This also holds true for animals whose assisted owner dies, or animals who, for some other reason, cannot continue in their respective program. Acceptable disposition options include placement with another qualified individual, adoption to a responsible home, or humane euthanasia when appropriate.
The MSPCA-Angell believes that programs that meet the above criteria can provide individuals with a level of independence, support, and security that they would not otherwise be afforded while also ensuring that no harm comes to the animals involved.
The MSPCA-Angell believes that pet owners should protect the welfare of their animals, while at the same time ensuring that their animals do not impact negatively on other animals, the public, or the environment.
The MSPCA-Angell believes a pet owner/caretaker should:
The MSPCA-Angell further believes that pet owners and caretakers should provide for their animals’ needs regardless of whether the animals are solely household companions or are also kept for working purposes.
The MSPCA-Angell believes that the decision to acquire a pet is one that should be reached only after careful consideration is given to the commitment required to properly care for the animal.
The MSPCA-Angell further believes that the “commercialization” of certain breeds and species by pet shops has caused suffering due to overbreeding and the inhumane methods used to raise, capture, and/or transport these animals in order to meet retail outlets’ demand for low-cost animals.
For example, regulation and enforcement of commercial dog breeders (often referred to as “puppy mills”), from which pet shops usually source their animals, is minimal. Current USDA standards allow commercial dog breeders to keep the animals in cramped, stacked, wire cages only six inches larger than the size of each dog for their entire lives. Furthermore, it is not required for dogs to be regularly let outside of their cages for exercise, and it does not mandate socialization. Inhumane practices have also been documented for other species, including small animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs, and reptiles, that are often considered to be less valued and therefore, disposable.
A responsible breeder will not sell to pet shops and will want to meet the families to whom they intend to sell their animals. The MSPCA-Angell offers information to help families better identify responsible sources for obtaining a pet.
Because most retail pet stores rely heavily on impulse buying, they are often either incapable of or unwilling to undertake programs that adequately screen prospective buyers to ensure that the needs of the animals are being met. Additionally, sellers often fail to ensure adequate veterinary care and they usually lack knowledge about proper animal care. The MSPCA-Angell opposes the sale of all animals from these outlets.
Therefore, as long as the sale of animals in retail pet stores is allowable under the law, the MSPCA-Angell will:
The MSPCA-Angell opposes cosmetic and other non-beneficial surgeries, which are defined as surgeries that are not intended to prevent, alleviate, or cure a medical condition, but rather to alter the animal according to owner preference.
These include surgeries intended to alter an animal’s appearance, such as ear cropping and tail docking in dogs, or to disguise a real or perceived imperfection.
Non-beneficial surgeries also include those that are intended to alter an animal’s natural behavior, such as devocalization of dogs and declawing of cats. The MSPCA-Angell believes that although there may be some natural behaviors that can be disruptive, inconvenient, or even destructive, a responsible pet owner will adjust to these natural characteristics and behaviors and will provide socialization and training so as to maintain a comfortable relationship that is beneficial to the animal and the owner.
It is understood that surgical procedures normally considered cosmetic or non-beneficial, such as ear cropping, tail docking, or declawing, may be performed for valid medical reasons due to an injury or malignancy.
The MSPCA-Angell recognizes that euthanasia is a very complicated issue and can be an emotionally difficult issue. However, the MSPCA-Angell believes that shelter euthanasia is necessary in some circumstances. While the MSPCA-Angell euthanizes animals primarily with severe medical or behavioral issues, in many parts of the country, the number of lost or unwanted animals surrendered to animal shelters exceeds the number of adopters. Euthanasia may be the only humane course of action for some of these animals. However, euthanasia should not be a primary tool for combating overpopulation.
The MSPCA-Angell believes that every homeless or unwanted animal should have a place to go for safe shelter and care. We believe euthanasia is the most humane option in situations where an animal is seriously ill or injured or for animals who pose a danger to the safety of people or other animals. We also feel it is important to provide affordable euthanasia services at the owner’s request when a pet is terminally ill, suffering, or presenting with severe behavior issues. We believe animals and communities are best served when our goal is to place every safe, healthy, or treatable animal, while also providing resources to help keep animals in their homes.
The MSPCA-Angell advocates the use of sodium pentobarbital, administered by trained personnel via injection, as the preferred method of euthanasia. When appropriate for the species, the MSPCA-Angell advocates for the use of sedation prior to the administration of sodium pentobarbital.
If an animal is euthanized, the MSPCA-Angell believes that the physical and psychological stress experienced by the animal should be minimized. Providing a humane death requires training and compassion. Utilizing effective techniques and offering low-stress handling can help provide a peaceful end of life experience.
Therefore, in support of these beliefs, the MSPCA-Angell will:
The MSPCA-Angell recognizes that the issues surrounding outdoor cats have become more complex and therefore, require multiple approaches. At times, it can be very difficult for a person to easily determine if a cat seen outdoors is a lost cat in need, an abandoned cat, a neighbor’s cat that is allowed outside, or a cat that is part of a free-roaming managed colony.
The MSPCA-Angell believes that the safest way to manage cats is to keep them indoors to protect them from contagious disease, negative human interaction, dangers such as injury from motorized vehicles, and to reduce interactions with wildlife and other domestic animals. However, the MSPCA-Angell recognizes that there is a significant number of cats that are allowed to be outside for various reasons and therefore, require specialized approaches of management to improve their safety and to prevent them from contributing to the homeless animal population.
Furthermore, the MSPCA-Angell believes that unless the environment is deemed to be unsafe for the cats, Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate, Return (TNVR) programs are one of the most effective ways to manage feral cat populations. In some cases, this may also be appropriate for socialized outdoor cats.
The MSPCA-Angell believes that companion cats that are allowed to go outside should be protected by:
The MSPCA-Angell believes that unowned cats that live outdoors permanently, such as feral cats, should:
The MSPCA-Angell believes that comprehensive, forward-thinking, and community-centered animal care and control programs protect and assist both animals and the public. Effective animal care and control programs use preventative measures that reduce the number of animals entering shelters, provide and coordinate pet care resources for families, and facilitate the return of lost animals to owners. Animal control programs provide or coordinate assistance for farmed animals and injured or orphaned wildlife. In addition, effective animal care and control programs improve public health and safety by reducing the frequency of animal bites and curtailing the spread of rabies and other diseases. The MSPCA-Angell further believes that state and/or local governments must establish and adequately fund animal control programs.
Additionally, effective animal care and control programs must include
Therefore, the MSPCA-Angell will seek to support effective animal care and control programs by
The MSPCA-Angell is opposed to any event that sets one animal against another. Contests such as dogfighting, cockfighting, and other forms of animal fighting — which are frequently resolved by the death of one or both of the animals — subject the animals to acute suffering and torment. In addition, injured animals who survive may not receive appropriate veterinary care because of potential association with an illegal activity. An event in which an animal is systematically tormented, wounded, maimed, or killed for entertainment is cruel and unjustifiable.
Further, those who participate in this activity by breeding and training dogs to fight, hosting or promoting fights, and/or who watch and bet on the outcome of these fights make it possible for these events to exist and share responsibility for this cruelty.
The MSPCA-Angell believes it is wrong to kill animals, whether they are wild-caught or captive-bred, solely to produce fur garments and decorations. The MSPCA-Angell believes that no valid justification exists for killing animals for their fur since fur is generally marketed and purchased as a status symbol and is unnecessary to meet human needs.
These concerns are compounded by the cruel methods employed by the trapping and fur farming industries. The trapping of millions of wild animals each year causes immeasurable suffering to individual animals, of both target and non-target species, and contributes to the depletion of many species.
While trapping continues to be a source of furs, fur farming accounts for a major portion of the fur industry. Animals raised on fur farms are kept in severely restrictive confinement and are usually slaughtered by inhumane means. These animals are also genetically manipulated to produce offspring with a desired color and fur length. The MSPCA-Angell believes that consumers, suppliers, and advertisers of fur products share the responsibility for the needless suffering and death caused by the fur industry.
Therefore, the MSPCA-Angell will work toward eliminating the demand for and production of fur products by:
The MSPCA-Angell believes that farm animals are creatures of intrinsic value, complexity, and dignity. We believe that the billions of animals raised each year are entitled to live their lives consistent with the “Five Freedoms” – freedom from fear and distress, freedom from pain, injury, and disease, freedom from hunger and thirst, freedom from discomfort, and freedom to express natural behaviors.
The MSPCA-Angell condemns the following practices that are not consistent with these freedoms, which include, but are not limited to:
The MSPCA-Angell believes that good animal husbandry should be based in humane stewardship and that the humane ethic should be applied to all farm animals. The MSPCA-Angell believes that farm animals in any management system should be kept in a safe and comfortable environment. These animals should have access to shelter from extremes of weather, protection from predators, an adequately controlled temperature when indoors, ventilation and light, a clean and sanitary environment, protection from equipment failure and fire, housing and grouping appropriate to their behavioral and social needs, and a humane death.
The MSPCA-Angell recognizes that the study of the biological sciences is important to a comprehensive elementary and secondary school science curriculum. However, these studies traditionally included invasive and/or stressful procedures performed on animals to demonstrate various biological concepts. We believe that it is unnecessary to use animals, live or deceased, in this manner. Such use can also be illegal. We believe that experiments of this kind are detrimental to the development of positive and responsible attitudes towards animal life.
The MSPCA-Angell also believes that consideration for the disposition of live animals after use in the classroom has to be carefully considered prior to utilizing live animals. Many classroom experiments, such as egg-hatching, may unintentionally result in animals being born without consideration for their life or well-being.
Therefore, the MSPCA-Angell is opposed to the use of any animal in a school-sponsored activity in a manner that would cause pain, stress, homelessness, unnecessary euthanasia, or suffering. We also oppose any activity that would in any way interfere with the normal health, behavior, development, or environment of that animal.
The MSPCA-Angell believes that educators in elementary and secondary schools should follow these guidelines:
1. Limit the use of live animals in the classroom or sanctioned extracurricular activities to the observation of normal living patterns, behavior, development, and relation to the environment. See our statement on Classroom Animals. 2. Utilize simulations, models, and other technology to teach those subjects that traditionally involved the use of live or deceased animals, including dissection. 3. Be aware of and discuss within the curriculum the ethical concerns surrounding the use of animals in studies. These include potentially desensitizing students to animal life, problematic animal sourcing including wild capture, and inhumane transport and death. 4. Have thoughtful consideration about an animal’s disposition after use so that the result is not homelessness or euthanasia.
Therefore, the MSPCA will:
• inform the public about existing laws that regulate the use of animals in these settings. • recommend humane education programs and materials that promote ethical considerations and alternatives to the invasive use of animals in science studies.
The MSPCA-Angell recognizes that scientific progress and product safety has resulted from animal experiments and testing. However, we believe that continued advances in alternative research methods should strictly limit, and ultimately replace, the need for animal research and testing. Traditional animal testing is expensive, time-consuming, uses a lot of animals, and the results often do not translate to humans.
As long as animals continue to be used for research and testing purposes, the MSPCA-Angell urges the strictest accountability in research procedures and in the procurement, maintenance, and disposition of all species of animals used in laboratories.
The MSPCA-Angell believes that:
e MSPCA-Angell recognizes that positive, responsible attitudes towards animals can be developed by caring for and interacting with live pets. However, the MSPCA-Angell believes that it is difficult to provide pets the same level of care in elementary and secondary school classrooms as is possible in a home. Therefore, the MSPCA-Angell believes that animals can be kept as classroom pets only if they are acquired for the purpose of educating students about the sentience of animals and their need for responsible, humane care.
The school understands and accepts full responsibility for the acquisition and lifetime care of the pet. Additionally, the following criteria should be met:
Therefore, the MSPCA-Angell will actively promote responsible care of classroom animals by:
The MSPCA-Angell opposes the use of wild and exotic animals in traveling acts including, but not limited to, any exhibition, public showing, exposition, fair, circus, carnival, parade, or similar undertaking in which animals are required to perform tricks, give rides, or participate as accompaniments for the entertainment or amusement, for an audience.
Wild and exotic animals have complex needs that are impossible to meet in a traveling entertainment act. Animals are deprived of adequate exercise and appropriate social groupings, have scant opportunities to express natural behaviors, and veterinary care can be delayed, deficient, or absent.
Handlers typically employ abusive training methods using implements such as whips, chains, electric shock prods, and bullhooks to compel wild and exotic animals to perform certain behaviors and tricks. Even an elephant used solely for photos may be subjected to painful negative reinforcement training. The suffering endured for the sake of these stunts is often lifelong, as the unnatural movements and poses can result in chronic pain and injury.
Wild and exotic animals used in traveling shows often exhibit signs of severe stress, extreme frustration, and psychological instability, all of which create public safety risks. Historically, animals used in traveling acts have caused hundreds of injuries for both handlers and spectators. Wild and exotic animals used in traveling acts are also a danger to public health, carrying and potentially transmitting zoonotic diseases.
The MSPCA-Angell also believes that traveling wild and exotic animal acts promote harmful attitudes toward and flawed understandings of wild and exotic animals. While some exhibitors assert that traveling animal shows offer educational benefits, empirical evidence does not support this claim. Research has indicated that the shows often foster problematic beliefs by, for example, normalizing wild animal captivity or creating a false impression that the animals are in abundance in nature. Finally, the MSPCA-Angell has concerns about the disposition of animals at the end of their careers and opposes the placement of wild or exotic animals into substandard parks or zoos, game farms, or individuals who intend to keep them as novelty pets.
With regard to domestic animals (for example, dogs, cats, horses, and other animals), the MSPCA-Angell encourages the public to choose to attend traveling animal acts only if the animals’ physical and behavioral needs are met at a high standard if training methods are humane, the lifetime welfare of the animals is prioritized, and the animals are presented in a way that fosters respect and sensitivity toward them. These provisions include but are not limited to being accompanied by their owners/caregivers, appropriate social groupings, opportunities to express natural behaviors, and a detailed plan to access veterinary care promptly if needed.
The MSPCA-Angell believes that many consumptive uses of wildlife, such as trapping and sport hunting, cause suffering to animals, and therefore condemns their use as wildlife management tools.
The MSPCA-Angell believes that wildlife management agencies have prioritized consumptive use at the expense of non-game species and habitat preservation issues. Instead, the interdisciplinary facets of wildlife management programs should include habitat protection and preservation, re-establishment of healthy and self-regulating ecosystems that do not require regular and constant killing of animals, and control over human activities that adversely affect wild animals and the environment.
The MSPCA-Angell recognizes that, on occasion, an emergency situation arises in which human intervention is necessary to protect wildlife, people, or the environment. In those cases, responses from wildlife managers should focus upon ensuring the humane handling and disposition of individual animals in addition to finding long-term solutions in the best interest of all affected people and ecological systems. If circumstances, such as animal suffering, necessitate killing wildlife, this should be conducted by responsible officials utilizing methods that will result in a humane death.
The MSPCA-Angell believes that all animals exist in a dynamic state of interdependence with their environment, and that no animal is inherently a “nuisance” or “pest.” However, because humans increasingly impinge upon or alter the habitats of wildlife, conflicts may arise simply due to their presence or natural behavior.
The MSPCA-Angell believes that before any measures are taken to control, relocate, or kill wild animals, a careful analysis of the animals’ behavior, environment, and the specific problem or threat posed must be conducted. If control measures are implemented, effects of these actions on the environment and other animals should also be evaluated to ensure that they are appropriate, humane, and effective long-term.
Humane wildlife control measures should be implemented only when alternatives have failed and:
The MSPCA-Angell believes that wildlife control programs should employ the most humane and least intrusive means for addressing wildlife conflicts. Programs employing preventative steps are most desirable. In most instances, the most effective approach to wildlife control is environmental manipulation by such means as removal of food sources or prohibiting access to these sources rather than moving or killing animals.
Therefore, to encourage understanding and appreciation of wildlife and to promote humane and effective responses to conflicts with wildlife, the MSPCA-Angell will:
The MSPCA-Angell is opposed to all forms of animal trapping that cause pain and suffering or are conducted for commercial or recreational purposes.
Devices such as leghold traps, Conibear traps, and snares inflict significant pain and suffering upon millions of animals annually. Additionally, these devices pose a serious danger to non-target wildlife and domestic pets.
Commercial and recreational trapping is conducted primarily to support the fur industry. The MSPCA-Angell believes fur products are unnecessary to meet human needs and therefore, has no justification for trapping and killing animals for their fur. The MSPCA-Angell opposes wildlife management programs that maintain populations of “harvestable” species for trapping.
The MSPCA-Angell recognizes that, under certain circumstances, it may be necessary to capture wild animals to remove them from danger, conduct a study that will benefit animals, or remove animals from a situation in which they pose a significant threat to humans. In these circumstances, animals should be humanely trapped for relocation. If relocation is not an option and euthanasia is necessary, methods used should be both effective and humane.
The MSPCA-Angell opposes the hunting of animals for sport because it subjects animals to stress, suffering, injury, and/or death for the purpose of recreation.
Because of the suffering caused by hunting, the MSPCA-Angell does not condone its use as a wildlife management tool. The MSPCA-Angell recognizes that in some cases, as a last resort, humane or ecological considerations may necessitate killing wildlife. In those cases, this should be based on the best available science and be conducted by responsible officials, utilizing methods that are most likely to result in a humane death.
