[5] The invitation to the other groups came from the Illinois Humane Society, sent on September 15, 1877, to discuss the specific problem of farm animal maltreatment during their transport between the eastern and western US.

Groups attending the meeting included associations from the State of New York, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Maryland, Connecticut, and New Hampshire.

[7] New member organizations were in attendance for their second annual general meeting, held in Baltimore, Maryland, and also came from California, Massachusetts, Maine, Delaware, and the District of Columbia.

The majority of those assembled at the Atlanta, Georgia, convention elected the three candidates on the member-nominated slate; J. Perry, Raymond Naramore, and Roland Smith.

In the meeting's aftermath, there were firings and resignations on the part of staff members, including Larry Andrews, Marcia Glaser, Helen Jones, and Fred Myers.

[22] The group began protesting the public release of the film because of a scene in which a horse was forced to run off the edge of a cliff.

[24] In 1966, American Humane's access to some sets was diminished for 14 years following the dismantling of the Hays Office, during which time their jurisdiction was lessened.

[25] In 1980,[26] following the release of Heaven's Gate, the opening of which was met with a national picketing and protest effort after complaints about how the filming of the movie had involved the inhumane treatment of animals – including the deaths of five horses – the Screen Actors Guild negotiated for the universal presence of American Humane on the set as part of its union deal, forcing moviemakers to contact American Humane in advance of any animal being present on set.

[28] Because of this, American Humane may choose to issue the end credit disclaimer "No Animals Were Harmed", with a piece of a filmstrip that depicts a dog, a horse and an elephant.

[32] On the set, American Humane's Certified Animal Safety Representatives attempt to ensure the Guidelines are upheld.

[36] In a series of public advertisements along with the $10 million libel suit, American Humane stated that the allegations were made based on insufficient and misleading information.

[38] In late 2013, The Hollywood Reporter ran a story which implicated American Humane in turning a blind eye to and underreporting incidents of animal abuse on television and movie sets.

During the filming of the movie Life of Pi, the tiger "King" nearly drowned in a pool, yet this incident was not reported outside of the American Humane organization.

American Humane placed an employee on leave after a video was published showing the dog in distress while performing a stunt for the movie.

[46][47] The label informs purchasers that American Humane has found that the animals were not subjected to unnecessary pain, distress, or fear while being raised.

The footage included workers treating the chickens violently and using inhumane slaughter methods; this resulted in Mercy for Animals calling American Humane's certification program "a scam".

[54] The first winner of the national award was a dog named Roselle, who led his blind owner down from the 78th floor of the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks.

[56] American Humane launched the Front Porch Project in 1997 in order to prevent child abuse and neglect.

American Humane works through 'sustainer' organizations in local communities in order to intervene on behalf of at-risk and abused children.

[58] American Humane launched the Fatherhood Initiative in order to develop better methods of engaging non-resident fathers with children who are in the welfare system.

Dew was the highest paid American Humane "independent contractor" in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2011, according to filings the charity submitted to the IRS.