People have not always treated animals with kindness. Organizations dedicated to protecting them appeared in the United States beginning in 1867, with the founding of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Communities used licensing and dog-catching to control stray dogs as early as the 1820s. By the 1870s, however, animal welfare organizations slowly began to take over control of stray dog and cats from communities. They promoted both adoption and humane euthanizing of unwanted animals. Some organizations emphasized “humane education” in the public schools beginning in the 1880s. National groups like the Humane Society of the United States, as well as hundreds of local organizations, now work to protect animals from cruelty, to educate young people about kindness, and to promote better pet keeping practices in America.