Animal Cruelty

Guest blog by Andrew Binovi, ASPCA Federal Legislative Manager

With all the political gridlock in Washington D.C., it seems that Congress has nearly ground to a complete halt. So it was very exciting late yesterday when the U.S. Senate considered two important measures to help animals in need!

First, the Senate took up the cause of canine heroes who have served in our military and passed a provision that streamlines the adoption process for retired military dogs and authorizes the Department of Defense to provide veterinary care in the animals’ retirement without any cost to American taxpayers. Military dogs perform dangerous, critical tasks, and it is our duty to honor these dogs and ensure they are cared for after their service is complete. The House passed similar language in their version of the military bill earlier this year.

Then, just moments later, the Senate passed the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act by a unanimous voice vote. This bill, introduced by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Mark Kirk (R-IL), along with Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Scott Brown (R-MA), will give law enforcement additional tools to crack down on animal fighting. The legislation will make it a federal offense to attend an organized animal fight and will impose additional penalties for taking minors to animal fights.

Take Action!
We are encouraged that in the twilight hours of this Congress, animals in need have not been forgotten by federal lawmakers. Our team has been working around the clock with members of Congress to ensure passage of both bills, but we still need your help. Please call your representative and ask him or her to support the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act in the House. Animals victimized in this grisly blood sport are in desperate need—and they are counting on us to get the job done!

Ninja has come a long way. This sweet dog was one of 50 rescued by ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement agents last summer from a dog fighting ring in the Bronx. Ninja suffered in terrible conditions in the dingy, dark basement of an apartment building, rarely seeing the light of day. When we rescued her, she was extremely underweight and suffered from infections to her skin and paw. We got to her just in time, transporting her to a temporary facility to begin her recovery. 

Now Ninja is healthy and thriving with her adoptive pet parent, Samara Lynn, in Midtown Manhattan.

“I wanted a dog for some time,” Samara says. “I went to the ASPCA a few times and finally when I saw Ninja and her size and temperament, I knew she was perfect. I waited about two weeks to think about it. I finally thought, someone must have adopted her already, but when I went back, she was still available. We picked each other.”

Staff at the Adoption Center warned Samara that Ninja might be a bit skittish with all the traffic and noise of New York City. But over time, she has adjusted.

“We live in Midtown Manhattan and she loves walking and jogging with either me or my boyfriend,” Samara says. “She also really enjoys meeting all the new people and dogs out for walks.”

She is also a fast learner. After just a month, Samara taught Ninja to walk on a leash, heel, sit, stay, give paw and other tricks.

“She is very smart, sensitive, and very aware and is the only dog I have ever had that pays acute attention when another dog is on television,” Samara says.

We’re thrilled that this special and talented dog has a second chance at life in such a loving home.

To read more adoption success stories, check out our Happy Tails archive.

Even as their region was devastated by Superstorm Sandy, a New Jersey couple found time to step up for an animal in need.

After spending days inside waiting out the storm without electricity, Gloria Delgado and Wilfredo Garcia took their dog for a walk Tuesday to survey the damage to their Elizabeth neighborhood.

A few blocks from their home, they saw something strange: a little white car idling at the edge of a park. The couple heard a yelp and a car door slam, and then watched as the car sped away.

To their horror, Delgado and Garcia realized a Hound/Pit Bull mix puppy, white with brown spots and about five months old, had been pitched out of the car, left to fend for herself among the downed trees and debris. Delgado called to the confused puppy, and she came right away.

Delgado and Garcia waited for 20 minutes—perhaps, they thought, she fell out of the car? But the car never returned, so they took the puppy home to their dark apartment.

“She was so nice,” Delgado says. “So good and playful with our kids and our dog.”

The puppy stayed the night, but the Garcia family knew they couldn’t keep her forever. Delgado cleans houses in Manhattan, and she decided to bring us the puppy when she returned to work. On Wednesday, the entire Garcia family braved hours of traffic to ensure the dog reached us safely. 

“I lived in Manhattan a long time ago, so I know how the ASPCA takes care of animals,” Garcia says. “I knew they would take care of this dog.”

We are so grateful that the Garcia family took care of this sweet and happy little puppy, who is receiving care at our Adoption Center and will be made available for adoption soon. Of course, we named her Sandy.

For more information about the ASPCA’s rescue and relief efforts during Sandy, please stay tuned to our blog and Twitter account.

UPDATE: Sandy has been adopted!

Guest blog post from Jessica Johnson, Grassroots Advocacy Manager for ASPCA Government Relations.

North Dakota is one of only two states that still classify even the most malicious acts of animal cruelty as weak misdemeanors. For years the state legislature has refused to take action, so the citizens of North Dakota took the matter into their own hands and gathered more than 25,000 signatures—almost double the amount needed—to put Measure 5 on the ballot this Election Day.

If passed, Measure 5 will protect pets by making extreme cruelty to dogs, cats and horses a class C felony.

Having grown up in northern Minnesota, I feel at home in the Midwest. That’s why I was shocked and horrified to hear this week that a woman in Wisconsin was arrested for deliberately torturing, poisoning, and killing her boyfriend’s dog. There is some relief in the fact that the Wisconsin woman will be charged with felonies and faces five or more years in prison. But if this dog had been tortured and killed in North Dakota, the abuser would get only a slap on the wrist.

I want nothing more than to see Measure 5 passed into law by North Dakota’s voters on November 6—that’s why I’m digging my winter boots and sweaters out of the closet and heading to Bismarck to work on the YES! on Measure 5 campaign!

Please call, email, and text your friends and family in North Dakota and ask them to vote YES! on Measure 5. And if you or someone you know are in North Dakota and want to join me and other volunteers in our efforts to get out the YES! on Measure 5 vote, please email me at grassroots@aspca.org. Let’s do this for the animals!