by Emily Shoemaker, VRG Intern
Taking Action For Animals (TAFA) was headquartered at Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington D.C. this year from July 31st to August 3rd 2026, hosted by Humane World for Animals (HWA). The conference boasted an attendance of roughly 500 guests and a wide arrange of sponsors and vendors who created 22 unique workshops for conference goers to attend. The four workshop tracks included “Advancing Animal Advocacy,” “Building Advocacy Skills,” “Maximizing Your Impact,” and “Shaping Policy for Animals” to build a comprehensive look at animal rights policy work. At the end of the conference, attendees were invited to attend a lobbying day in support of the Better CARE for Animals Act and protecting Proposition 12.
I arrived with my intern partner Alex on Friday afternoon. We were greeted by an exceptionally nice venue and helpful staff that made our experience at the hotel extremely easy. The first event was the exhibit hall where we got to both meet and adopt some furry friends.
Many vendors and guests brought their companion animals as a fun way to boost excitement and build camaraderie throughout the event. We got to meet Ethan of Ethan Almighty fame, who was just as happy to be there as we were. HWA had a menagerie of tables, one of which had a wide spread of small stuffed animals representing species of particular concern. I got a coyote who lovingly kept me company during my stay by guarding my pillow, which turned out to be thematic as coyotes were the focus of one of the later sessions we attended.
Many of the vendors were focused on either legislative action or specific types of animal aid. For example, we talked to graduate programs looking for policy students and non-profits looking for physicians while also talking to animal shelters who needed volunteers. These two groups became especially apparent during the workshops, as each side had interesting contributions to group conversations.
We attended four workshops, “Legal work in support of new animal protection legislation,” “The consensus gap: Turning public support for framed animals into policy action,” “Changing the narrative on wildlife ‘management’,” and “The inner game of animal protection: Daily coping and long-term engagement for advocates.” As someone with substantial policy reading, writing, and analyzing experience, I found that many of the workshops that touched on legislation could have been more detailed for me, but they were very accessible to those who were coming in with fresh eyes, or especially those who were new in their animal rights related career and were trying to learn about the greater context of animal relation policy and education. Some of the highlights included learning about California’s proposition 12, coyote protection needs, and mental health tips to prevent burn out in advocates long term.
Alex and I were not able to attend the lobbying day on Monday, so our journey ended Sunday evening after lunch and a round table discussion in small groups. Our table was focused on fundraising for animals, where we spoke with a pair of representatives from Helen O. Krause Animal Foundation Inc. plus a conservationist from Texas and our HWA host. We left afterwards with many memories and new tips and tricks for how to help animals out through policy and advocacy efforts.