Animal Cruelty

We have exciting news! In just one weekend, animal welfare groups in 33 communities nationwide found homes for 4,865 cats and dogs during the ASPCA’s 2014 Mega Match-a-thon October 17-19.

At the request of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina (USASC) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the ASPCA is currently on the ground assisting with a federal investigation involving drugs and dog fighting in Columbia, South Carolina.

National Pit Bull Awareness Day, which takes place on October 25, was created to bring positive attention to the Pit Bull Terrier. By combating myths about the breed, we have the power to restore its good reputation and save thousands of lives. Here’s how you can help:

Chicken Scratch is an ASPCA Blog feature that highlights interesting news about farm animals and farm animal welfare.

Television actress Sarah Hyland visited New York City this week to kick off Swiffer’s year-long campaign to help the ASPCA find homes for animals in need. On Monday, Hyland had the opportunity to interact with multiple adoptable dogs and tour the ASPCA Adoption Center.

Hyland also helped to host a pet appreciation party, which featured adoptable pets, in Manhattan on Tuesday with Swiffer and the ASPCA. There she shared her about her personal experiences with her dog Barkley Bixby by her side.

Ozzie was just six months old when she was abandoned after Hurricane Sandy. Found in a box with a sign that said, “Help me, I’m handicapped,” the tiny kitty was quickly diagnosed with cerebellar hypoplasia—a neurological disorder that affects balance. She was placed into a foster home with many other cats, which is where Jami DeAngelis, Senior Director of Internal Audit at the ASPCA, first met her.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the agency responsible for protection of wild horses and burros as cultural icons, is considering a plan to ship many of these burros to Guatemala to become working animals. Once off of U.S. soil, the fate of these animals becomes largely unknown. What’s more, if carried out, this plan establishes a dangerous precedent for other federally protected equines.

It’s no coincidence that many of our Happy Tails begin with a magical moment. Adopters often describe the first encounter with their pet as, “meant to be” or, “love at first sight.” But not everyone believes in kismet and fairy dust, and Stephen L. was one such person. Assuming that dog adoption would be as simple as “picking a pet,” he never expected to have his heart stolen by a pit bull named Clipper. Here is their Happy Tail.

They arrived on leashes, in crates, and even in shopping carts. Mastiffs and Malteses, bulldogs and boxers, pit bulls and poodles. From the tiniest teacup Chihuahuas to giant German Shepherds—and even a handful of felines.

More than 300 pets were vaccinated at the ASPCA’s first-ever free clinic at Green Meadows Park on E. 89^th and San Pedro Streets in South Los Angeles on Saturday.