American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)

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American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)

About the ASPCA


Who We Are

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) was the first humane society to be established in North America and is, today, one of the largest in the world. Our organization was founded by Henry Bergh in 1866 on the belief that animals are entitled to kind and respectful treatment at the hands of humans, and must be protected under the law. Headquartered in New York City, the ASPCA maintains a strong local presence, and with programs that extend our anti-cruelty mission across the country, we are recognized as a national animal welfare organization. We are a privately funded 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, and proud to boast more than 1 million supporters across the country.
What We Do

As the first humane organization to be granted legal authority to investigate and make arrests for crimes against animals, we are wholly dedicated to fulfilling the ASPCA mission through nonviolent approaches. Our organization provides local and national leadership in three key areas: caring for pet parents and pets, providing positive outcomes for at-risk animals and serving victims of animal cruelty. For more on our work in each of these areas, please see descriptions below of our programs and initiatives.
History

Incorporated in 1866 by a special act of the New York State legislature, the ASPCA has a history rich in challenges and victories—from providing care and protection for the city’s working horses and transforming dog pounds into professionally run adoptions facilities to founding an animal hospital that is still running today. Read more about our history.
Mission

The ASPCA’s mission, as stated by Henry Bergh in 1866, is “to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States.”
For more information, please read our policy and position statements.
ASPCA Programs and Initiatives

Resources for Pet Parents

Helping you to care for your animal companion is one of our main priorities.

• The specially trained staff at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center is on call round-the-clock.
• The ASPCA Animal Behavior Center offers free expert training and behavior advice.
• Our full-service, accredited Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital employs a dedicated staff of veterinarians ready to provide high-quality medical care.
• A fleet of ASPCA mobile spay/neuter clinics serves low-income communities throughout New York City.
• We offer pet loss support services for those who are grieving.

Positive Outcomes for At-Risk Animals

We’ve taken a progressive approach to helping the country’s at-risk animals.

• The ASPCA® Mission: Orange™ initiative invites key cities across the United States to partner with us to end the unnecessary euthanasia of adoptable pets.
• ASPCA disaster readiness experts work with state agencies to create plans for animals in times of emergency.
• At home in New York City, the ASPCA operates an 8,000-square-foot state-of-the-art adoption facility.
• To help shelters find compatible homes for thousands of animals each year, we have developed a research-based adoption program, ASPCA® Meet Your Match™.
• We also continue our work of helping at-risk horses with the ASPCA Equine Fund.

Serving Victims of Animal Cruelty

Our bold anti-cruelty campaign includes combining our animal protection efforts with the newest technology for solving animal crimes.

• The ASPCA Anti-Cruelty Center in New York City will be the very first of its kind in the world. In it, our Humane Law Enforcement department—which continues to uphold New York City’s animal cruelty laws—will work with our forensics experts to help investigate and prosecute crimes against animals.
• We help educate police officers, humane investigators, veterinarians, prosecutors and judges on how to respond to animal cruelty, including assisting in cruelty case investigations.
• Our animal advocates fight tirelessly on state and national levels to pass laws that protect animals.

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2009 ASPCA Humane Awards

2009 ASPCA Humane Awards

2009 ASPCA Humane Award Nominations

Calling all remarkable pets and animal lovers! If you know a fabulous feline or precocious pooch with a knack for saving lives, or a heroic human being who has improved the lives of animals, the ASPCA wants to hear from you. Nominations are being accepted until July 31, 2009. Winners will be invited to attend the Humane Awards Luncheon on Thursday, October 29, at the newly-renovated Pierre Hotel in New York City, where the awards will be presented.
Submit Your Nominations for:

• Cat of the Year
• Dog of the Year
• Kid of the Year
• Public Service Award (Firefighters, Law Enforcement Officers, etc.)
• Other

2008 ASPCA Humane Award Winners

Eight extraordinary animals and people, including a guide cat that served as a dog’s best friend and a cadaver dog that provided assistance in Iraq were honored for their heroic deeds at the ASPCA Humane Awards Luncheon in New York City. The ASPCA’s annual Humane Awards Luncheon, sponsored by The Hartville Group, was held on Thursday, October 30th at New York City’s historic Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center. The ceremony recognized animals that have demonstrated extraordinary efforts on behalf of humans as well as individuals who have worked on behalf of animal welfare, or engaged in animal heroism during the past year. “The Humane Awards Luncheon honors those who have gone above and beyond for animal welfare and animal heroes who have dedicated their lives to help others,” said ASPCA President & CEO Ed Sayres. “It’s a wonderful event that celebrates the important role companion animals play in our lives.” Following a nationwide call to the public for nominations in February, an ASPCA-appointed committee reviewed hundreds of entries and selected winners in eight specific categories.
The 2008 ASPCA Humane Award winners are:
ASPCA Dog of the Year

You will never see Cole Massie, a 10-year-old boy from Los Angeles, California, without Ilia, his furry sidekick. Cole has cerebral palsy, and Ilia, a five-year-old black Lab/Golden retriever mix, is always by his side. Ilia is also one of thousands of service dogs that support people with special needs. In order to break away from being wheelchair-dependent, Cole underwent surgery in July 2008 so he would be able to walk again without assistance. Ilia travelled over 7,000 miles on six planes to be by Cole's side for surgery. He supported Cole through medical treatments and physical therapy, and he encouraged the boy throughout his road to recovery. These days, Cole is able to use his whole foot, and Ilia is still by his side, walking alongside him.
ASPCA Cat of the Year

Libby, a ten-year-old tabby, was a dog’s best friend. She served as a guide cat to Terry and Deb Burns’ senior yellow Lab/Shar Pei mix, Cashew, who was blind and deaf. Libby helped her canine companion accomplish daily tasks, steered Cashew away from bumping into obstacles and patiently guided the blind dog to her food. The two were inseparable; Libby even slept next to Cashew at night. The only time they were apart was when Terry took the dog for a walk.
Unfortunately, Cashew passed away several years ago and to this day, Libby misses her canine companion. Libby was a true friend and hero to Cashew, and their deep-rooted friendship showed that animals of different species can understand and help each other overcome hurdles.
ASPCA Firefighter of the Year

On July 17, 2008, Adam Deem, a firefighter with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, was working the burned area from the Moon fire in Northern California, one of 158 fires started by lightning. While Deem was monitoring the trail, he noticed a six-month-old bear cub crying for its mother. The cub suffered from serious burns to all four paws, and his fur was singed from the fire. With the mother nowhere to be found, Deem wrapped the frightened and injured bear in his firefighter’s jacket and took him to the Fire Incident Command Center. From there the cub, named Li'l Smokey, was treated for dehydration and sent to Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, where he is recuperating from the frightening ordeal.
ASPCA “Tommy Monahan” Kid of the Year

Mimi Ausland, a 12-year-old girl from Bend, Oregon, wanted to do more than just volunteer at her local animal shelter. After four months of careful planning, hard work and support from her parents, Mimi launched Freekibble.com in April 2008. Mimi’s primary mission is to provide food to dogs and cats at the Humane Society of Central Oregon. She made it fun for people to help contribute to her cause by playing a trivia game on her web site.
Since April 1, 2008, Mimi has donated more than 47 million pieces of kibble (dogs and cats) which would feed approximately 1,900 dogs and 2,300 cats everyday for a month. Mimi's program is now feeding a total of eight shelters across the country. This award is dedicated to Tommy Monahan, a 9-year-old Staten Island boy who perished last year trying to save his dog from a house fire.
ASPCA Law Enforcement Officer of the Year

Diane Balkin is Chief Deputy District Attorney for the City and County of Denver and has worked in the District Attorney’s office since 1979. For nearly 30 years, Ms. Balkin has been an advocate for humans and animals, working tirelessly to send a message that animal abuse will not be tolerated. While she has prosecuted all types of felonies such as sexual assault, homicide and aggravated robbery, her passion is to promote animal welfare by prosecuting those who neglect or abuse animals. Over the past year, Ms. Balkin successfully prosecuted a South Dakota dog breeder for cruelty to animals and saved 19 of his horribly neglected puppies that were left unattended in a truck. In another cruelty case, she prosecuted a Denver man who killed a Chihuahua with a shovel and then threw the pet's lifeless body in a dumpster. Both defendants were found guilty, and in the Chihuahua case, the defendant was sentenced to six years in prison.
Ms. Balkin, a member of the Colorado State Board of Veterinary Medicine, speaks at conferences nationwide about animal cruelty prosecutions and trains veterinarians, law enforcement officials, students and citizens on the link between cruelty to animals and violence toward humans. She has been instrumental in changing Colorado laws to facilitate the prosecution of animal abusers, and her commitment and steadfast determination to raise awareness about animal cruelty have made an immense impact in Colorado, as well as nationwide.
ASPCA Henry Bergh Award

Dr. Phil Bushby, a board certified veterinary surgeon, is no stranger to the ASPCA. Thirty-six years ago, Dr. Bushby started his career as an intern and surgical resident at the ASPCA’s Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital in New York City. For the last three decades, he has been on the faculty at Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine where he currently serves as Service Chief with a focus on spay/neuter programs. He also holds the Marcia P. Lane Endowed Professorship of Humane Ethics and Animal Welfare and is a Board Member of MS-SPAN (Mississippi Spay and Neuter), an ASPCA Mission: Orange partner agency in Gulfport-Biloxi. Dr. Bushby was an integral member of the Veterinary Shelter and Neuter Task Force and Shelter Residency Standards Task Force (organized by the ASPCA and PetSmart Charities). He spearheaded the MSU Disaster Response projects during Hurricane Katrina, and is on the road four days each week, taking students to eight Mississippi shelters to provide them with spay/neuter and shelter medicine experience. He recently traveled to Turkey to speak on spay/neuter issues. Dr. Bushby’s goal is to expose veterinary students to shelters across Mississippi, educate them about the problem of pet overpopulation, and help them find ways to play a role in the solution. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine.
ASPCA Presidential Service Award

There’s no mission that’s impossible for Stache, a four-year-old black Lab. Stache and his handler Jim McCans have been involved in nearly two dozen searches, including a trip to Mississippi to find a Hurricane Katrina victim, and solving a missing persons case in Philadelphia. Within the last year, Stache and Jim were asked to provide assistance in Iraq, where they faced their biggest challenge: to search for missing American service men and women. Stache and Jim found nine separate recoveries, but not before a close brush with death when an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) exploded in their path in Owesat, Iraq. The blast left Stache with temporary hearing loss, but he has since recovered and returned to the states. Stache hasn’t forgotten the soldiers that befriended him during his stint in Iraq; he recently visited two soldiers who were severely injured from the same blast at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
ASPCA Lifetime Achievement Award

Mamdouha S. Bobst is a humanitarian, a philanthropist and an animal advocate who has dedicated her life to help others in need. She and her late husband, Elmer Holmes Bobst, are important supporters of health research and university centers both in the United States and in Lebanon. Her generosity is not limited to humans, however. Mrs. Bobst has donated funds to support the Animal Medical Center, where she founded the Mamdouha Bobst hospital in New York City. The veterinary hospital treats more than 30,000 animals annually and offers routine care, emergency services and treatment for pets suffering from unusual or complex diseases. Mrs. Bobst has also been an ASPCA supporter for several years and with her late husband, helped finance the renovation of the ASPCA Adoption Center in Manhattan. In 2006, the renovation was completed, and today the building’s front lobby is named after them. Needless to say, Mrs. Bobst’s contributions have saved countless numbers of animals in need.