Allie-Brennan To Be Honored For Animal Advocacy In Bethel

REDDING, CT — The Humane Society will honor State Representative Raghib Allie-Brennan (D-2) with their 2019 Humane Legislator Award for his advocacy of animal rights.

Allie-Brennan will receive the award at a ceremony to be held at the Danbury Animal Welfare Society in Bethel on Saturday, Feb. 8.

"This honor from The Humane Society is truly humbling," said Allie-Brennan. "Soon after I was elected in 2018, a constituent reached out to me about the issue of inhumane pet breeding. What I learned was shocking and led me to introduce legislation to protect Connecticut families from the enormous expense and mental anguish that often comes from caring for inhumanely bred pets. The Humane Society and DAWS have been invaluable partners in this work and I look forward to working with them as we advance the important cause."

"Rep. Raghib Allie-Brennan is championing efforts to fight puppy mill traffickers here in Connecticut," says Annie Hornish, Connecticut state director for The Humane Society of the United States. "These pet shops are few in number, outliers in their own industry. Requiring humane sourcing by pet shops aligns with the current business practices of the overwhelming majority of pet shops and is a pro-business measure that not only helps animals but protects consumers."

"State Rep. Raghib Allie-Brennan is a friend of DAWS," says Bill Jasper, president of the DAWS Board of Directors. "Soon after being elected in 2018, he quickly established himself as an outspoken advocate for animal welfare, introducing legislation that will ban pet stores from selling inhumanely bred animals. Last summer, he teamed up with Broken Symmetry, a Bethel pub, to sponsor DAWS on one of its charity nights, where the pub donated 10 percent of that evening's revenue to DAWS. We are thrilled to hear about his award and appreciate his state-level advocacy for homeless animals."

The Danbury Welfare Society is at 147 Grassy Plain Street in Bethel. The award ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Saturday.