The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) launched the First Strike® campaign in 1997 to raise public and professional awareness about the connection between animal cruelty and human violence. Through the campaign, The HSUS encourages everyone to take animal cruelty seriously.

Each year First Strike works with hundreds of animal shelters and other local animal protection agencies to facilitate workshops that bring together animal shelter workers, animal control officers, social services workers, law enforcement, veterinarians, educators, and other anti-violence professionals to promote the development of coordinated community responses to reduce animal cruelty, family violence, and community violence. As part of the First Strike effort, The HSUS also hosts Animal Cruelty/Human Violence Awareness Week during the third week of April each year.

We frequently provide investigative support, rewards, expert testimony, and information on the cruelty connection to law enforcement and prosecutors in high-profile animal cruelty cases. We also monitor and review reports of animal cruelty and promote the standardization of animal cruelty reporting and tracking. And we continue to press for the passage of well-enforced, felony-level anticruelty laws throughout the United States.

The First Strike campaign also offers a variety of materials for professionals and concerned citizens on animal cruelty and its connections to domestic violence, child abuse, elder abuse, and community violence.