On April 30th, I attended a “Lobby Day for Animals” event at the Massachusetts State Capital in Boston. This wonderful event was organized by several U.S. animal protection organizations that the FOUR PAWS U.S. office works closely with concerning policies and legislation to better protect and improve the lives of animals. While this event focused on animals in Massachusetts, where our U.S. office is located, our office also works with other U.S. animal welfare organizations nationwide to pass legislation that aligns with our global FOUR PAWS vision of a world where humans treat animals with respect, empathy, and understanding.  

At this annual event, over 100 attendees gathered to learn about key animal protection bills from the MA legislators who sponsored them, along with hearing from other animal advocates from the various organizations sponsoring the event. We then had one-to-one meetings with our MA state Senator and Representative to discuss why these bills mattered to us, and in turn, why they should matter to them too.  

Why is this important? Because both your state and federal legislators have been elected to represent you! And in order to do that, they need to hear from you. One of the most effective ways to do this is by meeting with them in person or scheduling a phone call with them. While this may seem daunting at first, it’s helpful to remember that your legislators are people too, and they care about what their constituents think and what issues matter to them. By having a respectful and polite conversation with your elected officials, you’ve opened the door to having an ongoing relationship that can create a real impact for improving the lives of animals.  

As animal lovers, we need to tell our legislators and government leaders that animals’ matter – their lives and how we treat them and coexist with them matter. Does this mean that other things happening in our world today don’t matter? Of course not. It simply means that in caring for ourselves and the planet, we must include animals in that discussion too.  

Learn more about the bills FOUR PAWS USA is supporting in both MA and nationwide.