• Sign the petition: Tell the Blaine City Council to Stop the Puppy Mill Pipeline in Blaine, Minnesota

• If you live in the city of Blaine, please contact the Blaine City Council members and ask that they support a humane pet store ordinance to end the sale of puppy mill puppies in Blaine pet stores.

  • If possible, contact your specific council member directly (find your ward and council member on the Go Humane Blaine website.

  • Or email the council: citycouncil@blaine.mn.gov

  • It's important to customize your email or letter in your own words. Please include in your message:
    - Your name and address (state you are a resident of Blaine; council members want to hear from residents)
    - Your opposition to puppy mills and the link to pet stores
    - Your support of a humane pet store ordinance
    - Your own personal story, if you have one
    - Important: ask the council member for their support of the humane pet store ordinance and the protection of these animals

  • Keep us informed: If you can, please send us an email and tell us if you receive a response. 

• Do you live in Blaine? Order a Go Humane, Blaine! yard sign for your front lawn. It's free!  

  • Email us at gohumaneblaine@gmail.com and give your name and address. We'll drop it off at your house. Please give us any special instructions about where and when to drop it off.

• Help share the message about the Humane Pet Store Ordinance through your social media. Direct people to our website to learn more and take action. To download the Go Humane, Blaine! image, click here. 

  • Post: Go Humane, Blaine! Adopt a Humane Pet Store Ordinance.

A humane pet store ordinance is needed in the city of Blaine to stop the sale of puppy mill puppies in pet stores. Ask your Blaine City Council member to support a humane pet store ordinance. For further information on how to take action, please visit: www.gohumaneblaine.com/take-action.html.

• • Post: Blaine: Go Humane! Adopt a Humane Pet Store Ordinance

Hometown hockey hero David Backes and wife Kelly are speaking up! Watch: David and Kelly Backes ask Blaine to ‘Go Humane’

A humane pet store ordinance is needed in the city of Blaine to stop the sale of puppy mill puppies in pet stores. If you live in Blaine, contact the Blaine City Council and ask for their support. Learn more and how you can take action at the Go Humane, Blaine! website: www.gohumaneblaine.com.

1. Easy Action - Sign the Petition: End the Use of Animals at the St. Paul Osman Shrine Circus

2. Breaking Up with Brad: Contact Brad Batdorf, Circus Manager at the St. Paul Osman Shrine Circus. Let him know that you can’t go to the circus until they stop using animal acts. 

   • • St. Paul Osman Shrine Circus

Brad Batdorf

2750 Sibley Memorial Hwy

Eagan, MN 55121

(651) 452-5662

manager@osmancircus.com 

info@osmancircus.com

St. Paul Osman Shrine Circus (osmancircus.com)

3. Be a Social Butterfly: Post on social media (X-Twitter, Meta, Instagram, TikTok) about the circus protests, demanding animal free circuses, and tag the Animal Rights Coalition, St. Paul Osman Shrine Circus, and Shriners International. 

4. Hear All About It - News Flash! Tell your local newspaper, TV news station, and radio station about the protests and or write an opinion piece:

   • KSTP-TV tip page 

   • Star Tribune tip page 

   • MPR tip page - Submit a news tip to newsroom@mpr.org - (651)-290-1424

5. No Stars for Elephant Exploitation: Leave Yelp and Google reviews for the St. Paul Osman Shrine Circus, ensuring the public knows that the St. Paul Osman Shrine Circus needs to get out of the business of exploiting animals. 

   • Review sample 1: “Wow, the St. Paul Osman Shrine Circus is still using animals at their events, and resorting to bull hooks in this day and age. Outdated! Even if these amazing animals were treated well, fed well, and cared for it is NOT our place as civilized people to use them for our entertainment & amusement. The Shriners are a terrific organization but they can't lay claim to the building of character while they continue the use of animals.”

   • Review Sample 2: “The St. Paul Osman Shrine Circus has exploited animals in their circuses for over 100 years. That’s not something to be proud of. Evolve! The only humane circus is one that offers only human feats!”

6. Donate to Compassion Works International (CWI) to help pay for the circus billboards put up in St. Paul. 

Call to Action: Shut Down the Miracle of Birth Center at the Minnesota State Fair

In Defense of Animals and Unparalleled Suffering joins the Animal Rights Coalition in calling for the permanent closure of the Miracle of Birth Center (MOBC). Every year, cows, pigs, and sheep are intentionally bred to give birth in front of large crowds at the Minnesota State Fair. The cows and pigs have labor induced. They are not even allowed to labor naturally, but are forced to give birth at a time that is convenient for the MOBC. Nearly 200 baby animals, including calves, lambs, and piglets, are born each year at the Miracle of Birth Center. All of the animals are used as living exhibits for entertainment. Mothers are routinely separated from their newborns soon after delivery, and many are sent to slaughter once the fair ends.

Turning birth, a sacred, private moment, into a spectacle needs to end. The animals are not respected as sentient beings but exploited for public amusement. They are denied dignity, peace, and the most basic consideration for their well-being.

This is not education. It’s trauma disguised as tradition.

Join us in demanding an end to this cruel practice. Learn more at MNFairWatch about the unfair practices at the MN State Fair, sign the In Defense of Animals petition, and tell the Minnesota State Fair: close the Miracle of Birth Center.

Contact:

Renee Alexander, Minnesota State Fair General Manager
8:00 am - 4:30 pm, Mon-Fri CST
(651) 288-4400
Press 0 and ask to leave a message for Renee Alexander
renee.alexander@mnstatefair.org

Dr. Erik Jopp, Assistant Director, Minnesota Board of Animal Health
8:00 am - 4:30 pm, Mon-Fri CST
(651) 201‑6844, or leave a voicemail anytime

Dr. Brian Hoefs, Executive Director, Minnesota Board of Animal Health
8:00 am - 4:30 pm M-F CST
(651) 296‑2942
Press 4, ask to be transferred to his office
Weekends:
(651) 201-6825 leave voicemail
brian.hoefs@state.mn.us

Brian Evans, Press Secretary, Minnesota Attorney General
8:00 am - 4:30 M-F CST, or leave voicemail anytime
(651) 396-3754

Sample call:

Hello, my name is [Your Name], and I'm calling to urge you to permanently shut down the Miracle of Birth Center at the Minnesota State Fair. Forcing vulnerable animals to give birth, then separating them from their babies, in crowded, noisy public spaces is not education, it's disgusting exploitation. These displays promote cruelty, mislead the public, and endanger both human and other animals' health, especially with ongoing threats like bird flu. Please end this horrific exhibit once and for all. Thank you.

Call to Action: Stop Animal Rides at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival

Elephants, camels, and other animals used for rides at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival endure lives of cruelty, not celebration. There is no connection between these animals and the Renaissance period, yet they are exploited for entertainment under the guise of tradition.

These animals are denied freedom of movement and proper socialization. Elephants, in particular, are subjected to violent training methods designed to break their spirits. Bill Swain, owner of East Texas Elephant Experience (also known as Trunks and Humps), continues to haul animals across the country for profit. His son, Mike Swain, has been caught on film beating elephants into submission.

Shuffled from event to event, these sentient beings suffer daily for fleeting amusement. There is nothing natural about animals walking in circles for hours with humans on their backs. This is not harmless fun. It's abuse. 

Join us in demanding an immediate end to animal rides at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. Speak out against cruelty. Choose compassion. Sign our petition, and then send Jim a message.

Contact:

Jim Peterson, Mid-America Festivals, Owner of MN RenFest
1244 S Canterbury Rd Suite 306
Shakopee, MN 55379-8944
952-445-7361

• Sign the petition: End the Use of Elephants as an Entertainment in the Minnesota Renaissance Festival

• Leave a negative Google review mentioning their use of animals. 

• Encourage friends and family to boycott the festival and take action!

• Sign the petition: End Extreme Race Day at Canterbury Park in Minnesota

• Contact Canterbury Park. Demand transparency and an end to “Extreme Race Day” and all animal exploitation.

  • Tell Randall Sampson, CEO and President of Canterbury Park, that there is a growing public pushback against cruel animal displays. Businesses that fail to recognize that attitudes have changed are likely to lose customers. Concern about the cruelty in horse racing continues to mount, and gimmicky sideshows just add to the public’s indignation. Please stop racing exotic, and domesticated animals.  

    • Call: 952-445-7223  

    • Email: cby@canterburypark.com

    • Tag them on Facebook and Instagram 

  • By the Yard, an outdoor furniture company based in Jordan, Minnesota, is listed as a partner of Canterbury Park, sponsoring races that put exotic animals at risk for injuries and death. Respectfully ask By the Yard to reconsider their partnership with this venue. As a reputable business, they have the power to take a stand against cruelty and make a meaningful difference.

    • • Call: 952-492-2777

      • Email: info@bytheyard.net

      • Tag them on Facebook