ASPCA Announces Publication of "Heritage of Care"

NEW YORK, April 1, 2008—Since 1866, the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) has led the way in providing effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals in the United States. Now, the organization’s history is chronicled in HERITAGE OF CARE: The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Recently published by Praeger, the book gives readers an insight into founder Henry Bergh’s abhorrence of injustice as well as the public’s commitment to its companion animals.

“Animal protection plays an integral part in the cultural history of America,” said ASPCA President & CEO Ed Sayres. “Yet no book reflects current activities and practices in the field. Heritage of Care offers a rare, insider’s look at the foundations of the humane awareness movement by one of America’s most renowned animal experts—our own Dr. Stephen Zawistowski.”

Dr. Zawistowski, executive vice president of national programs and science advisor to the ASPCA, along with Marion S. Lane, special projects editor in the National Programs office of the ASPCA, co-authored Heritage of Care, which features exclusive stories from the ASPCA archives that bring the society’s early work to life in a compelling, well-written narrative.

In addition, the 184-page book chronicles the organization’s current endeavors, bringing up-to-date the ASPCA’s initiatives in veterinary medicine, training and behavior, law enforcement, advocacy, education and humane communities. Six appendices round out the book, and extraordinary photographs help trace the history of the organization that gave birth to the humane movement in the United States and is still vibrant today.

“The ASPCA’s efforts to protect animals are not a recent occurrence,” said Dr. Zawistowski, a natural storyteller who has been with the ASPCA for 19 years. “For more than 141 years, the name has been synonymous with the humane treatment of animals, and the organization itself has had a pervasive influence on history and development in the field of animal welfare. I am proud to have been able to chronicle the history of the ASPCA, along with my co-author Marion Lane, and am excited to bring our story to a whole new generation of Americans.”

For more information on the ASPCA, or to buy the book online, visit www.aspca.org.