Q&A with a Humane Society Intern

Emily Spivak is a 21-year-old Penn State graduate with a degree in political science and a minor in civic and community engagement. This summer, she is serving as a Capitol Hill intern for The Humane Society of the United States in the Legislative Affairs Department. I had the chance to speak with Emily regarding her internship and some of the issues that Camp Bow Wow friends and animal-lovers alike might be interested in.

Q: What is your job like on a daily basis?

A: I am always doing a variety of research projects for my supervisor, Heather Carpenter. The interns also make calls to constituents whose state or federal senators will be voting or could be co-sponsoring a bill that we have an interest in. I have many types of projects -- anything from banning the export of horses to Canada and Mexico for slaughter to working to change the type of chemicals used in the euthanasia process in shelters.

Q: What are some of the most important issues to The Humane Society at the moment?

A: One issue at the moment has to do with fur coats. As of now, companies are not required to label what type of fur a product is made from if it sells for under a certain dollar amount. Believe it or not, cheaper furs can be made out of dog or cat fur, so that is something the Humane Society is looking to change.

Also, Michael Vick will be joining our anti-dogfighting campaign, and there is some controversy about that.

Q: Are you working on any special projects?

A: Yes, I am currently collecting information about each state's permit distribution for exotic species. Each state has the authority to distribute permits and has its own discretion as to what animals are considered "exotic," how individuals can get permits, and how many permits are given out.

Q: What will the Humane Society do with this information?

A: Well, they have an exotic animals department that is one of the smallest in the organization, so I am gathering this information for them. It's important to know the state-by-state legislation because there is a lot of illegal activity in the world of exotics.

Q: Are there any issues specific to Pennsylvania that you know of?

A: Puppy mills in Lancaster County are horrible. They are far from wiped out because there is a profit to be made. And pigeon shoots also take place in Pennsylvania and are horrendous. If you haven't heard of a pigeon shoot, what takes place is that pigeons are illegally trapped in New York and brought to PA, where the birds are then shot out of launchers and individuals pay to shoot at them. The pigeons that are not shot in the sport are killed in very inhumane ways.

Q: So, what can individuals do to voice their opinions and help shape animal-related legislation?

A: The number-one thing anyone can do is call their state representative. A coworker and I recently worked on a bill involving puppy mills that had to go through the appropriations commitee, and it was not expected to pass. We made a lot of calls to constituents, asking them to contact their legislators, and we later found out that the bill made it through. It is wonderful to see that we can make a difference.

I'll hopefully be touching base with Emily again this summer to find out more about The Humane Society's Taking Action for Animals event in Arlington, VA, from July 24-27.

To find out what issues are currently being debated in your area, go to The Humane Society's legislation webpage. If you see something that tugs on your heartstrings, click here (if you live in PA) to contact your state legislators. You can also find contact information for your state Senators and House rep here.