The Friends of Animals Caucus was formed in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA) and Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT). It is a bipartisan coalition of U.S. House Representatives for the animals.

 Rep. Shays explains, “I am committed to animal welfare because I believe humankind has an obligation to all animals.  Some species have become our companions and some play important roles in sensitive ecosystems. It is our duty to protect and care for all of these animals.”
 The Friends of Animals Caucus has championed such animal protection legislation as the PETS Act which passed in 2006 and requires disaster planning for animals. http://network.bestfriends.org/animallawcoalition/news/8366.html  

Members of the caucus have been instrumental in advancing the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, H.R. 503 and the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act, H.R. 137. In fact, H.R. 503 passed overwhelmingly in the House in the last Congress and it is hoped with the help of the Friends of Animals Caucus will become law in this Congress.
 The Friends of Animals Caucus is currently reconvening in this Congress and needs more members. In the last session the Caucus had 25 members. Because 4 members were not reelected, the caucus now has only 21 members. The more members, the more effective the caucus will be for the animals.   Representatives Christopher Shays (R-CT) and Tom Lantos (D-CA) have sent a letter to all members of the U.S. House of Representatives, asking them to join the caucus. 

How You Can Help 

Please contact your U.S. Representative today and ask him or her to join the Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus. 

To reinforce the efforts of the caucus co-chairpersons, your U.S. Representative needs to hear from you. 1. Please contact your U.S. Representative by letter or email followed by a phone call. Tell him or her that you are a constituent, that you care about animal issues, and politely ask the Representative to join the Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus if he or she has not done so already. Let your Representative know he or she should contact the offices of either Rep. Christopher Shays or Rep. Tom Lantos if interested in becoming a member of the Friends of Animals caucus. For contact information for U.S. Representatives, click here. http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.shtml If you do not know who your U.S. Representative is, click here and enter your state and address. Scroll down to find your U.S. Representative. http://www.house.gov/writerep/ 

2. Forward this alert to friends and family to ask that they contact their Representative. Give them the contact information above. 

For further information please contact Animal Protection Institute at jsimonelli@aol.com or 703-818-2500.