Animal Cruelty

Eva Podietz is one of the ASPCA’s most dedicated volunteers. Scores of ASPCA animals have benefited from Eva’s care, and the most recent addition to Eva’s furry family is Bentley, a little Shih Tzu who suffered immensely before starting his new life.

Bentley came to us after a devastating kick to the head that left him with a dangerous brain hemorrhage, broken jaw and a broken skull, threatening to destroy his tiny brain stem. He could barely stand or move his legs. 

Any sudden movements could have killed Bentley in those early days. ASPCA veterinarians provided critical head trauma care, medications to reduce fluid build-up in his brain, and comprehensive pain management. Our hospital staff could tell that Bentley was a fighter. He survived those initial days. Then the first two weeks. As soon as he could, Bentley began lifting his neck and wagging his tail to greet staffers. And one day, Bentley began to regain use of his legs!

But Bentley was still a bit scared of people, and he wasn’t eating as well as they’d hoped. They placed him in foster care with Eva, and he quickly gained a pound and started to open up. “After a month it was clear it was an adoption, not a foster,” Eva tells us. Now he is showered with love, attends doggy daycare and, despite everything he’s been through, “doesn’t seem to hold a grudge.”

Bentley isn’t Eva’s first ASPCA rescue. Back in 2006, Cloudy came to us severely matted and suffering from multiple infections. He was also blind and had several back problems. We knew he needed a special home, and he found it with Eva, who has given him the best life possible. That’s why we’re extra glad to see Bentley earn a spot in such a wonderful home.

“They’re the ASPCA’s dogs; I’m just their caretaker,” Eva jokes. “They’ve got lots of admirers and people who love them at the ASPCA. And everywhere! But especially at the A.”

These pups were lucky to find Eva, and lucky to receive care thanks to ASPCA donors like you. Your donations fund our critical work to rescue animals from abuse and ensure their abusers face legal consequences. If now is a good time for you to give, please consider doing so today.

Have you fostered or adopted a cruelty victim? Tell us about it in the comments. And if you suspect you’ve witnessed cruelty, please report it. Dogs like Bentley and Cloudy are counting on it!

Members of the ASPCA Field Investigations and Response and Forensic Services teams are on the ground in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, assisting local authorities with the investigation of a farm animal cruelty case involving nearly 30 horses and other farm animals.

The Pleasant Prairie Police Department executed a search warrant on April 9, finding, among other animals, five deceased horses and 22 horses in poor condition. These horses were removed from the property and are now being housed temporarily by local rescue groups, getting the care and attention they desperately needed.

On April 30 the ASPCA teams arrived in Pleasant Prairie, about halfway between Milwaukee and Chicago. We’re there to support the Pleasant Prairie Police Department by lending our expertise in animal crime scene investigation.

We’re honored to help the Pleasant Prairie Police Department step up for these animals in need, and we’ll provide updates about this case as they come in.

If you suspect you’ve witnessed cruelty in your area, please don’t hesitate to report it. You could save a life.

Hey, New Yorkers: Let’s hear it for our state’s attorney general, Eric Schneiderman! Today he announced the Animal Protection Initiative, a new program that will use civil and criminal remedies to target allegations of animal cruelty and unscrupulous sales of pets and other animals in New York.

The initiative aims to protect both animals and people in the state by shutting down animal fighting rings, ensuring compliance with New York's Pet Lemon Law, charging those who abuse or neglect animals, and cracking down on puppy mills.

Our attorney general has long been a friend of the animals. In fact, today he announced that his office has reached a settlement with the owner of a Yonkers pet store that was keeping animals in unsafe and inhuman conditions, requiring him to take several actions to greatly improve animal care at his store. This outcome is just the latest in a string recent animal welfare victories the attorney general has won.

“We are thankful to Attorney General Schneiderman for his persistent leadership in combating some of the worst forms of animal cruelty and protecting both the animals and people of New York State,” says Stacy Wolf, Vice President and Chief Counsel of the ASPCA’s Humane Law Enforcement and Legal Advocacy departments. “The new Animal Protection Initiative sends a clear message that perpetrators who engage in animal cruelty will be held accountable for their actions.”

Thank you for standing up for animals, Attorney General Schneiderman!

This morning a post written by independent journalist Will Potter made the front page of the social news website Reddit. It’s now blowing up on Twitter. Reaching thousands of people, Potter’s post detailed the first ag-gag prosecution in the United States.

A 25-year-old Utah woman who says she was standing on a public street outside a slaughterhouse used her cell phone to film an injured cow being carted away by a tractor lift. Amy Meyer now faces a class B misdemeanor for agricultural operation interference.

Ag-gag laws, like the one that passed last year in Utah, are specifically designed to silence investigators who expose animal welfare abuses on factory farms. But they can reach much further than that, potentially penalizing other witnesses and whistle-blowing workers. They can also hide other abuses, including food safety and labor violations. They criminalize acts including the recording, possession or distribution of photos, video and/or audio on a farm.

“This case illustrates the underlying intent of these laws: to keep citizens in the dark about what happens to animals on factory farms and where their food comes from,” says Suzanne McMillan, Director of the ASPCA’s Farm Animal Welfare Campaign.

For more information please visit our Ag-Gag Whistleblower section. Want to join the conversation on Twitter? Use hashtag #AgGag.

BREAKING UPDATE

After an onslaught of  traditional and social media attention,  we are happy to report that the charges have been dropped!