Cruelty Free. Does it matter to you?

As a cheese & egg consumer, and a meat purchaser, I often try to consider cruelty free items. These, however, are hard to find at an affordable price in my corner of the US. Perhaps if I made more of an investigative effort I could procure items from a local farm or a free range farming system, this would be ideal though not all together practical when shopping in a hurry, and on a budget.

Do my dogs care that their beef was free range and cruelty free? Should I care for them?
What conditions are considered cruelty free?

Consider the ever 'powerful' HSUS and their allegation against IHOP. View IHOP's Social Responsibility statement here.

IHOP claims that its eggs are "cruelty free" and animals used for its food receive "dignified, humane treatment." The animal welfare group said that's not true and filed complaints with federal regulators saying the Glendale-based company is engaged in "false or deceptive advertising."
The complaints allege that the eggs for IHOP's 1,421 U.S. restaurants come from chickens raised in cramped cages that do not allow them to stretch their wings, walk around or nest.
That doesn't meet a consumer's reasonable expectation of what "cruelty-free" means, the Humane Society said. "Consumers do not consider it `humane,' let alone `cruelty free,' to confine hens for life so tightly in wire cages that they cannot fully spread their wings, as IHOP's standards allow," the group said in its complaint.