Animal Cruelty

Tana, a two-year-old filly, at the time of rescue (top) and after rehabilitation (bottom).

When several horse lovers in rural Carbon County, Montana, noticed more than a dozen starving, neglected horses on two local ranches, they did what we hope everyone who witnesses animal suffering will do: They spoke up.

Local law enforcement was eager to take on the case. But, like most law enforcement agencies, they didn’t have the facilities or resources necessary to build a successful case against the owners and nurse dozens of horses back to health. So, officers reached out to the county’s only animal welfare group, Beartooth Humane Alliance, for help.

Diane Zook, Beartooth’s tenacious executive director, jumped at the chance. The only problem: Beartooth works mainly with cats and dogs. In fact, it had never assisted with an equine cruelty situation before.

Zook was unfazed. She called on experts including ASPCA Equine Initiatives Manager Stacy Segal for help. “Stacy is my hero!” Zook tells us. “Without her guidance, I really did not know how to go about this process.”

Segal drew on her wealth of experience investigating equine cruelty to help Zook and local police create a strong case against the owners of the starving horses. The hard work paid off: In July, both cases were settled in court, and Beartooth was awarded custody of many of the horses. For Zook, her greatest challenge was just beginning: Beartooth would need to find permanent placement for these deserving horses.

Segal immediately facilitated an ASPCA grant for the removal and care of the horses at a short-term foster home. Zook and her volunteers began the work of medically and behaviorally rehabilitating the horses, many of whom were undersocialized.

Meanwhile, Segal and Zook called on other equine rescues to see if they could take in and rehome these resilient equines, and the horse welfare community responded with an outpouring of generosity: Seven rescues from all over the country took in Beartooth’s horses, until there were just eight left. Zook prepared to care for the horses through the winter. And then, on Thanksgiving, Zook got an amazing surprise: Blaze’s Tribute Equine Rescue in Jones, Oklahoma, had an opening for the last eight horses. By December, every horse had been placed.

Today, many of these horses are in loving homes, while others are in sanctuaries. One is now a trail horse, two were adopted out together to be well-loved companion animals, and still another is a working cow horse. This spring Hazel, a mare who went to Zuma’s Rescue Ranch in Littleton, Colorado, gave birth to a foal. Hazel and baby will remain on the ranch as a part of its humane education program.

Should equine cruelty occur in Carbon County again, Segal notes, the police and Beartooth are now ready to confidently take on the case. We’re thrilled to have helped.

“The best part is that these horses have found a better tomorrow,” Zook tells us.

The ASPCA has been dedicated to helping horses since our founding in 1866. If you are able, please consider supporting our efforts to end equine cruelty and protect other companion animals from lives of suffering and abuse.

In September, the Bradford County Humane Society (BCHS) got a call that an elderly man had passed away, leaving behind six Chihuahua mixes. The dogs had not received care in over a week and urgently needed help.

BCHS, located in rural Pennsylvania, dispatched its animal cruelty investigator right away. At the home, the investigator found the dogs to be in serious condition, and that they had likely suffered long-term neglect. The pups needed veterinary care immediately—and the nearest clinic was 45 minutes away.

The investigator faced a tough choice: All six dogs had an urgent need for care, but the only vehicle she had was an old Ford F-150 pick-up that couldn’t fit them all. She was forced to make two trips.

Fortunately, with extensive veterinary attention and lots of care from dedicated BCHS staff, all the dogs pulled through and eventually found loving homes. Still, one thing was clearer than ever to BCHS Executive Director Jennifer L. Spencer: Her shelter needed a transport vehicle that would allow it to more efficiently carry out its life-saving work and cause less stress to transported animals. She applied for an ASPCA grant.

Since its inception in 2008, the ASPCA Grants Department has quickly become a key player in animal welfare philanthropy, helping fund exciting animal welfare programs in every state. To date, the ASPCA has made nearly $55 million in grants!

Last week, the ASPCA made its 5,000th grant, awarding $31,500 to BCHS for a brand-new transport vehicle, and we’re thrilled about how many animals we know it will help. BCHS will use the vehicle for cruelty investigations, as well as to ferry shelter animals to a local veterinary clinic for spay/neuter surgeries.

The vehicle will also help BCHS greatly expand its trap-neuter-return program, which just began in October and is the first of its kind in the area. Currently, BCHS must transport humanely trapped cats in the pick-up. With the new van, Spencer says, BCHS will be able to transport cats to the vet in one trip, reducing costs and stress for the animals.

Spencer says she’s already seeing signs that the program is reducing the local cat population and saving lives: “Last year at this time we were already overloaded with kittens,” she notes, “and right now we have open cages. I can’t wait for a year or two to go by to see what this program can do.”

We can’t wait, either, and we want to offer our sincerest congratulations to BCHS on receiving our 5,000th grant!

In the days after the ASPCA rescued Tyra from a Kentucky puppy mill, she was afraid of everything. When our behavior team touched the tiny Papillon during an evaluation, she shut down, paralyzed with fear. One glimpse of a child-size doll sent her reeling in terror. She was even too scared to eat.

Our behavior team knew it wouldn’t be easy, but they were determined to help Tyra. Our experts devised a program to treat her fear, hoping against hope that she would come out of her shell and learn to trust.

After a few months of treatment, the behavior team evaluated Tyra again. The results were thrilling, and we caught it on tape:

Tyra “seemed like a different dog,” remembers Kristen Collins, ASPCA Director of Anti-Cruelty Behavior Rehabilitation. “She approached us tail wagging, clearly eager to interact. She seemed to enjoy petting, played with a toy and investigated the doll. In short, she had transformed into a dog that was ready to enjoy her new life in a loving adoptive home.”

Seeing Tyra’s improvement, Collins and her colleagues were inspired; they knew their rehabilitation methods were effective, and that the time was right to launch the rehabilitation center they’d wanted to create for years. 

Last month we opened the ASPCA Behavioral Rehabilitation Center in New Jersey. At this first-of-its-kind facility, we’re treating dogs like Tyra who are rescued from puppy mills and other cruelty situations, giving them the time and intensive support they need but can’t get anywhere else.

After her rehabilitation, Tyra was transferred to D.C.’s Washington Animal Rescue League for adoption. Though still a bit fearful, Tyra was ready to enjoy life as a family dog—and that’s exactly what she’s doing right now. Today she lives in Maryland and is cherished every day.

“Tyra is a wonderful dog!” her mom tells us. “I am so happy that ASPCA gave her another chance at life and to be happy.”

We are so excited to help more dogs like Tyra at our rehab center—and we hope you’ll read the story of Pepper, one of the first dogs receiving treatment there. Watch the ASPCA blog for updates on this groundbreaking initiative and, if you can, make a gift to the ASPCA to be a part of our work.

Grab an orange party hat and all the birthday candles you can find—today is the ASPCA’s 147^th birthday! We’re thrilled to celebrate 147 years of our work for animals, beginning when our founder, Henry Bergh, first spoke up for animals in Civil War-era New York. Bergh, a gifted speaker with friends in high places, rallied people to the cause and succeeded in getting the New York State Legislature to pass the charter incorporating the ASPCA on April 10, 1866. Nine days later, the first effective anti-cruelty law was passed and, with a team of three, the ASPCA began working to enforce it. By the time Bergh died in 1888, 37 of the 38 states in the Union had passed anti-cruelty laws.

We’ve accomplished a great deal since then, and we’re working every day to assist animals nationwide. Help us celebrate by going orange for animals this April for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month, and if you’re in New York City, keep an eye out for the Empire State Building to glow orange in honor of the ASPCA on April 11!