Since our founding, the IFHS has worked to be a voice in the Iowa legislature and local governments for animal welfare. One of the main motivations for forming the IFHS was to help facilitate cooperation among humane societies and animal shelters across the state to improve the laws related to animal welfare.

Over the years, the IFHS, its members, and others have worked and succeeded in improving the legal protections for Iowa's animals. Those successes include:

• Mandatory spay/neuter of animals adopted from shelters

• Cruelty protection laws specific to companion animals

• Felony charges for animal torture

• Felony charges for animal fighting

• Defeated an effort to classify dogs as livestock and less the protections afforded under the law

• A ban on ownership of exotic pets and wildlife

• Improved protections for dogs in USDA-licensed commercial breeding facilities

• Improvements to companion animal cruelty laws

There is much more to do! We invite you to add your voice by joining us at the IFHS.