Archive - Animal Politics with Ed Boks

The Canyon and the Kennel

Best Friends asks shelters to do more. It should first explain what it is doing to prevent animals from arriving.

Aug 6 • Ed Boks

Tawny Hammond Said the Quiet Part Out Loud

Best Friends makes clear that reducing shelter dependency is not its goal.

Aug 4 • Ed Boks

Shannon Miranda Breaks His Silence. The Records Matter More Than His Statement.

The investigation will determine criminality. The records will determine accountability.

Aug 2 • Ed Boks

When Training Theory Meets Shelter Reality

Robert Cabral on high-risk dogs, practical judgment, and the limits of one-size-fits-all methods

Aug 1 • Ed Boks

July 2026

What Does It Mean to Be a Best Friends Partner?

How does an organization come to be publicly identified as a BFAS partner, and what happens if that organization disputes the designation?

Jul 30 • Ed Boks

When a Best Friends Partner Demands Answers

Rebecca Corry challenges BFAS over Los Angeles' "No Kill" claims and whether partners can question the narrative.

Jul 27 • Ed Boks

Best Friends Animal Society: Flying Blind?

How chasing a 90% live release rate led Best Friends off course

Jul 23 • Ed Boks

The Incentive Trap

How New World Screwworm Reveals an Animal Welfare System Built on Downstream Incentives

Jul 21 • Ed Boks

Why Has Dog Training Been Slow to Catch Up With Modern Science? – AMA #56

What modern canine behavior research reveals about positive reinforcement, dominance theory, and relationship-based training.

Jul 18 • Ed Boks

Harm Laundering: How Redefining One Word Could Erase Habitat Destruction From the Endangered Species Act

Federal agencies have finalized a rule that will remove the decades-old definition that treated certain habitat destruction as “harm” to endangered…

Jul 16 • Ed Boks

The Measure of No-Kill

Why save rates alone cannot define the success of the no-kill movement

Jul 13 • Ed Boks

Do Dogs Have Friends?

What Research Reveals About Dog Joy, Belonging, and Friendship – AMA #55

Jul 11 • Ed Boks

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