A Note from Matthew Pepper on Cruelty Investigations
Cruelty is hard to understand. Inflicting pain and suffering on a living creature is something most of us cannot comprehend. How could anyone do this? Whether it is physically beating a dog or tying it in the backyard for a life of solitude and sadness – the result is...
A Statement on Community Cats
Oakland County Animal Control and Pet Adoption Center, according to reports published by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, saves more animals than any other municipal shelter in the state of Michigan. We are, and remain, partners in animal...
A Note from Matthew Pepper on the Old MHS Detroit Building
Earlier this week, I attended the Detroit City Council meeting. One of the last items on the agenda was, in my humble opinion, one of the most important. The Detroit City Council unanimously accepted a gift from MHS – in the form of our old Detroit facility – that...
A Note from Matthew Pepper: Animal Cruelty Must Be Taken Seriously
You may have seen the recent news regarding two high school students from Grosse Isle High School facing felony animal cruelty charges for slitting the throat of, and then beating a guinea pig with a bat. In response to the charges, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy...
A Statement Against Breed Specific Legislation
Recently, the story of Diggy, an adopted dog, has been in the news due to questions about his breed and the city in which his owner resides, Waterford Township, having restrictions on specific breeds of dogs in their community. The Michigan Humane Society strongly...
Don’t Eliminate Animal Control
Animal care and control plays a vital role in both public safety and the overall quality of life for each and every community in Michigan, and eliminating or dramatically cutting municipal animal care and control departments is extremely short-sighted and potentially permanently damaging to the health and well-being of the community.
A Note from Matthew Pepper on Animal Surrender
Surrendering an animal is hard. It should be hard. A pet is a commitment and not one to be taken lightly. It can be easy to vilify someone who surrenders an animal. While it is true that there are people who, frankly, should not own animals and do not value them as...
A Note from Matthew Pepper on “Vigilante Animal Rescue”
I have spent my entire professional career in animal welfare, but I haven't always been behind a desk. For more than a decade, my focus was fieldwork – primarily animal cruelty investigations and public safety-related activities. I served as an animal cruelty...
A Chance to Double the Impact for Animals This Valentine’s Day
11,172. This, my friends, is a reason to celebrate. 11,172 lives saved in 2015. You made that possible. Through your support and commitment to our mission, last year was arguably the most impactful single year in the 138 year history of the Michigan Humane Society....
2015 Year in Review
For more than 138 years, the Michigan Humane Society (MHS) has served as a voice for the animals of Southeast Michigan and an advocate for those everywhere. There are only two things that have remained constant in all that time: our principles, and change. We are as...