USDA Animal Care Looks Back at a Productive 2017

USDA Animal Care sharpened its focus on customer service and efficiency in 2017 by emphasizing innovation, responsiveness and open communication. As we carried out our responsibility of administering the Animal Welfare Act and Horse Protection Act, we helped individuals better adhere to the regulations by expanding learning opportunities and strengthening our commitment to supporting their efforts to provide humane treatment to their animals. 

This past year saw us: participating in seminars and training sessions with commercial dog breeders; introducing an industry-driven emergency management model to the animal research community; piloting an eFile system for dog importation applications; training side by side with industry-licensed inspectors who help us prevent horse soring; shrinking the backlog of our Freedom of Information Act requests; aiding state and local agencies during hurricanes and wildfires by staffing response centers and providing pet rescue expertise; and supporting spay and neuter programs on Native American tribal lands.  

For a run-down of all the other highlights we’ve experienced this past year, please view our accomplishment report and our poster. We share these successes not to pat ourselves on the back but rather to demonstrate how an improved relationship between Animal Care and our regulated communities brings mutually positive results. 

“An organization is judged by whether it achieves the goals it sets for itself,” said Animal Care Deputy Administrator Bernadette Juarez. “At Animal Care, we are committed to successfully working with our regulated communities as a service-based, responsive and trusted resource. This not only benefits the people engaged in activities covered under the Animal Welfare Act and the Horse Protection Act but also benefits their animals.”

USDA Animal Care. Ensuring humane treatment. Serving people. Doing right.