Lindsay Hamrick, Policy Director for Companion Animals at the Humane Society of the United States, works to support local, state and federal policies protecting pets. She holds an M.S. in Animals & Public Policy from Tufts University and was the New Hampshire state director for HSUS prior to her current role. She spent ten years as CEO at three different New Hampshire animal shelters and, like so many of our guests, knew from a very young age that she wanted to work with animals. In her operational positions, Lindsay came to realize how much policy can affect the work of animal shelters—even though most shelter workers are so busy they often can’t pause to think about it until they have to. For Lindsay, one of those “have to” moments was in dealing with the New Hampshire state restriction on adopting out FIV and FeLV+ cats. She worked to change that rule, and she is now trying to take her “on-the-ground” experience in shelter operations and apply it on a national, policy level. Lindsay tells us that it’s important not only to make sure that there aren’t negative policies affecting the community cat population but that it’s also critical to be proactive and progressive about policy. Lindsay and Stacy speak at length about the incredibly successful Spay-a-Thon for Puerto Rico program, as well as the current state of affairs for animals in Puerto Rico. They also touch on some “hot topics” in legislation affecting community cats around the country right now, including some good bills in the works in the Midwest. To learn more about HSUS and their work with community cats, you can contact Lindsay directly via email or you can reach out to Danielle Bays, Director of Cat Protection and Policy at HSUS.