Scott Beckstead Oregon Senior State Director for HSUS 5 23 2016
Channel: Eric Squires
Date: 2016-05-24

Scott Beckstead,
Oregon Senior State Director for HSUS
 
Scott Beckstead worked as an attorney in private practice for 18 years before joining The HSUS.  During that time, he also served as the mayor of  Waldport, Oregon.  He became known for his special expertise in the field of animal law, and has taught that subject at the University of Oregon and Willamette University law schools.  In 2000, he co-authored the first casebook on animal law, and has worked in the academic world to develop and build the subject and its accessibility to law students, lawyers, and judges around the nation.
 
Since becoming the Senior Oregon Director in 2008, Scott Beckstead has worked to successfully pass the nation's toughest puppy mill law, a ban on the ownership of exotic pets, and a ban on the sale and possession of shark fins.  In addition to those efforts, he helped pass a bill to restrict the tethering and chaining of dogs, stiffen penalties for aggravated animal neglect, and add companion animals to domestic violence restraining orders.
 
Scott is a passionate advocate for equine welfare. In 2009 he established the Oregon Horse Welfare Council, which created programs to provide assistance to struggling horse owners and find safe homes for horses in need.  He worked as part of The HSUS Equine Protection team from 2010 to 2012 as the lead in fighting to stop horse slaughter.  In the 2013 Oregon legislative session, he was successful in passing a ban on the practice of horse tripping, which had become a serious problem in Oregon. Because of Scott’s success and familiarity with the issue, he will now be leading The HSUS’s efforts to ban horse tripping throughout the nation. Scott will be working closely with other state directors, Equine Protection, and equine advocates to build momentum on the issue and finally ban this cruel practice in all 50 states.
 
Born and raised on a working farm in Idaho, Beckstead is closely familiar with horses, livestock, and farm animals.  He provides training to law enforcement agencies on how to handle and work with horses and farm animals, and how to investigate equine and livestock cruelty and neglect.
 
Scott lives in Sutherlin, Oregon, with his wife and children, his dogs, and his cats.