About Us

Programs & Services

All ASPCA programs and services originate from one of our organization's three core areas: Community Outreach, Animal Health Services and Anti-Cruelty Initiatives.

Community Outreach

Animal Health Services

Anti-Cruelty Initiatives

Community Outreach

Community Outreach focuses on providing positive outcomes for animals at risk, and includes our own shelter services in New York City. Community Outreach team members include seasoned animal welfare professionals, veterinarians, animal behaviorists, dog trainers, animal care technicians, adoption specialists and humane educators. The programs under the Community Outreach umbrella are:

ASPCA Onyx and Breezy Shefts Adoption Center

Thousands of dogs, cats, puppies and kittens are adopted out each year from the ASPCA's Onyx and Breezy Shefts Adoption Center, named in memory of two Labrador retrievers owned by Mark and Wanda Shefts. One of the hallmarks of our New York City headquarters, the 12,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art adoption center was renovated and expanded in 2006. It is now capable of housing more than 300 cats and dogs in accommodations designed for their "creature comfort." Through the ASPCA's adoption services, 3,267 dogs and cats found new homes in 2008, a 20-percent increase over 2007.

Mobile Adoption Center

An extension of the Adoption Program, the ASPCA's Mobile Adoption Center travels throughout NYC's five boroughs to match adoptable pets with potential owners.

ASPCA^® Partnership

In 2007, the ASPCA entered into three-year partnerships with animal welfare and community organizations in specific "target communities" around the country to launch ASPCA Partnership, an ambitious project dedicated to providing positive outcomes for animals at risk. By providing our funding, resources and expertise, and fostering cooperation between shelters, community groups and animal welfare agencies in these target communities, the ASPCA is helping to improve live release rates, prevent animal cruelty and create model humane communities.

As of December 2008, ASPCA partner communities are: Austin, TX; Charleston, SC; Gulfport-Biloxi, MS; Philadelphia, PA; Spokane, WA and Tampa, FL.

ASPCA^®'s Meet Your Match™

The flagship program of Community Outreach is the ASPCA®'s Meet Your MatchTM (MYM). Meet Your Match is the only research-based adoption system that matches adopters' preferences with the specific behaviors of individual shelter dogs and cats. The family of MYM programs includes MYM SAFERTM, MYM Canine-ality/Puppy-alityTM and MYM Feline-alityTM. Shelters implementing the MYM programs experience reduced return-to-shelter rates, increased adopter satisfaction, increased adoptions by as much as 40 percent and reduced euthanasia by as much as 46 percent.

ASPCAPro.org

ASPCApro.org is a website that provides tools and resources for animal welfare professionals nationwide, including public and private animal protection organizations, veterinarians, law enforcement agencies, emergency responders, and education and public health officials. Through ASPCApro.org, the combined information and knowledge from our experts, along with profiles and materials from proven programs, are provided for animal welfare professionals to share and learn.

Animal-Assisted Therapy

In conjunction with the Delta Society, the ASPCA facilitates an Animal-Assisted Therapy program that trains dogs and cats—and their human handlers—to bring love, hope and cheer to patients in New York City medical and mental health facilities as well as to schools.

Disaster Readiness

Disaster Preparedness and Disaster Response are the two branches of the ASPCA's Disaster Readiness division. The Disaster Preparedness team works to educate the public about available resources and to prepare people to manage the needs of their pets in the event of an emergency or disaster. It also works with animal shelters and communities to promote and develop preparedness plans for companion animals.

The Disaster Response team is a trained, 12-person core group that can deploy to any part of the country when requested by a governmental authority or animal welfare agency in crisis. The team's equipment includes two 20-plus foot trailers, both stocked with animal rescue equipment, computers, radios, veterinary supplies and kennels.

ASPCA Grants

A key component of the ASPCA’s work to save more lives is granting essential funds to animal welfare organizations across the country. The ASPCA is the second-largest animal welfare grant-maker in the United States, providing support to U.S.-based nonprofit animal welfare organizations through cash grants, sponsorships, executive and technical assistance, and training. The ASPCA awards grants for spay/neuter, adoption, sheltering, relocation, anti-cruelty, equine-specific, disaster-preparedness, disaster-response and other initiatives that make the U.S. a better place for animals.

The ASPCA Equine Fund

The ASPCA Equine Fund assists equine rescues and sanctuaries with capital improvements and education programs. Additional emergency grants are dispensed to humane organizations that take on large-scale equine cruelty cases and to rescue groups impacted by natural disasters. Recently, the Emergency Hay Support program was established to help equine organizations feed the horses in their care. In 2008, the ASPCA distributed nearly $500,000 to organizations caring for equines throughout the United States.

Animal Health Services

Animal Health Services provides a wide variety of resources for pet parents. The programs under the Animal Health Services umbrella are:

Animal Poison Control Center

Located at the ASPCA's Midwest Office in Urbana, IL, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) is the only 24-hour, 365-day facility of its kind in the United States. Staffed by 30 licensed veterinarians—15 of whom are board certified in general and/or veterinary toxicology—the APCC provides pet owners and veterinarians with live, on-call assistance related to toxic chemicals and dangerous plants, products and substances. The Center's veterinary toxicology experts also consult on a wide array of outside projects, including legal cases, formulation issues, product liability and regulatory reporting. In 2007, the APCC handled over 136,000 cases.

Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital

The ASPCA's Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital (BMAH) offers general, emergency and specialized veterinary care. Fully accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association, it is one of the largest, most advanced animal hospitals in the New York metropolitan area. BMAH is staffed by more than 20 veterinarians, including board-certified specialists in internal medicine, surgery and oncology, and two veterinarians devoted exclusively to caring for animals who have been victims of abuse.

BMAH's extremely high caliber of veterinary care is complemented with affordability and financial flexibility. The hospital staff goes the extra mile to recommend the most efficient courses of treatment and tests, and will work with clients on payment plans and cost reductions for specific procedures. In 2007, the hospital treated 25,287 animals; 4,393 of those were seen as walk-in emergencies.

Mobile Spay/Neuter Clinic Outreach

The ASPCA's Mobile Spay/Neuter Clinics offer free and low-cost spay/neuter surgery and rabies vaccinations to financially needy pet owners in New York City's five boroughs. Our five mobile veterinary clinics contain state-of-the-art surgical suites and ample space for patient care before and after surgery. The ASPCA expects to spay and neuter 30,800 companion cats and dogs in 2009, a 40-percent increase from 2008.

Grief Counseling

The ASPCA maintains a Pet Loss Hotline for people grieving the loss of a companion animal. The hotline provides the opportunity to receive personalized support from a trained counselor. Each year, more than 400 grieving pet owners receive comfort via the hotline, as well as through emails and information on ASPCA.org.

Veterinary Outreach

Our Veterinary Outreach team is comprised of three veterinarians with combined experience in shelter medicine, veterinary forensics, population management, animal abuse and reporting, spay/neuter programs, high-volume spay/neuter and pediatric spay/neuter. In addition to providing expert consulting and developing written materials on veterinary issues in general, the Outreach vets provide specialized training for veterinarians and shelter staff by teaching at universities, conferences and online, and by collaborating with animal shelter workers, veterinarians and community groups.

Anti-Cruelty Group

The Anti-Cruelty Group is the branch of the ASPCA that halts and prevents animal cruelty through professional education, enforcement of New York City's anti-cruelty laws and by lobbying for stronger humane legislation nationwide. The programs under the Anti-Cruelty Group umbrella are:

Field Services

The ASPCA's Field Services department focuses on the organization's primary mission of providing effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals. Staff works with professionals in the veterinary, legislative, judicial, law enforcement and social service fields to educate them on prosecuting acts of animal cruelty and strengthening related laws. Because a growing body of research has documented the link between violence to humans and animal abuse, this department also provides resources and training in the successful prosecution of such crimes. The Field Services team includes the nation's premier specialist in veterinary forensics.

Government Relations

The ASPCA's Government Relations department works to ensure the strongest possible protections for animals through the passage of legislation and the establishment of public policies that fight animal cruelty. The group helps formulate the organization's policies and positions on animal welfare issues, and then ensures that appropriate measures are adopted at the state, federal and New York City levels through drafting, testifying, direct lobbying, grassroots organizing, development of white papers and letters of support and other legislative means. Our staff works closely with legislators at all levels of government to ensure both the implementation and adequate enforcement of humane laws, and is also active in litigation where animal protection laws are under challenge. In addition, the GR department conducts workshops and presentations to bring important legislative issues to the public's attention. We are also at the forefront of legislative work to overhaul commercial dog breeding operations.

The ASPCA's Online Advocacy program, the Advocacy Brigade, provides supporters with regular updates on the status of animal-related bills and the tools they need to have an effective voice in the lawmaking process.

Humane Law Enforcement

Through investigations, citations and arrests, the ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement (HLE) department upholds and enforces New York State's animal cruelty laws in the five boroughs of New York City. Additionally, our officers provide training to other law enforcement and animal protection agencies around the country. The HLE department investigates more than 4,000 animal cruelty cases each year, and in 2007 made 98 arrests and seized hundreds of abused and neglected animals. The lifesaving work of the department is featured on the reality television series Animal Precinct, which had a successful seven-year run on the Animal Planet network from 2001 to 2008.

Share This