The ASPCA: Angels In Our Midst

March 21, 2006

Many of us are familiar with the parable of the footprints in the sand. Able to review the moments in his life, a man sees the best and the worst and he notices two sets of footprints except at the lowest periods. He questions this and ultimately learns that he was never alone. He was being carried.

For six months now the footprints that trace the Louisiana SPCA’s path to recovery bear a special mark, that of the “A,” the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). During these past months they have literally carried us.

On the afternoon of Monday, August 29, hours after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast Laura Maloney, Executive Director of the Louisiana SPCA, was in Houston, monitoring television reports and watching the worst case scenario unfold for New Orleans. A couple of days earlier she and her staff had evacuated with 263 animals from their New Orleans shelter. Even before the reality could sink in, Maloney’s cell phone rang. On the other end of the line was Laura Lanza, Southern Regional Manager for the ASPCA. “How can the ‘A’ help?” she asked.

Since that first call, the help has continued to roll in. The ASPCA has remained at LA/SPCA’s side through the worst and best of times, offering overwhelming financial support, wisdom, guidance and instrumental staff support. To Maloney they are nothing short of angels in our midst. “I continue to rave about the ASPCA in my discussions with colleagues and the media. The staff, including Ed Sayres [President and CEO], Julie Morris [Sr. VP, National Outreach], and Laura Lanza, have given their time and expertise without fanfare, but only concern for the well-being of animals in our region and our organization’s survival,” says Maloney.

In dollars alone, the ASPCA to date has pledged $3.7 million to the LA/SPCA. This includes operational support for the next two years, capital campaign dollars for a future LA/SPCA facility, material support at the temporary facility in Algiers, staff support and a distribution of funds, equipment and supplies and vehicles in the immediate days and weeks following Hurricane Katrina. In addition to the monetary support, the “A” shared a major donor with us who purchased a staff house for our use during the rescue operations in Gonzales. That house now serves as the location of our Cruelty Division. They have also provided us hours of legal expertise from their staff in the drafting of a pet evacuation bill that is being presented in Louisiana’s current legislative session. As we plan for our future, we also have been provided the services of the ASPCA’s strategic planning consultants, headed by Mal Schwartz of MBS Associates.

As crucial as the financial support has been, the staff support has been equally instrumental in helping the LA/SPCA get through a disaster that is still mind boggling when you try to wrap your head around it. The ”A” as its known by fellow animal welfare colleagues sent the LA/SPCA Kate Pullen, the “best of the best” to work with Maloney. Pullen was hired by the ASPCA as Sr. Director of Programs and Strategies specifically for the LA/SPCA. “We were sending ASPCA staff to New Orleans for a few weeks at a time, “ Morris explains, “but we realized that LA/SPCA needed something more long term, so we came up with a concept to have someone work at a senior level directly with the LA/SPCA to help the organization get back on its feet.”

When Morris and Maloney approached Pullen, who was then HSUS Director of Animal Sheltering Issues, they weren’t sure they could convince Pullen to take on this challenge. In recent years, Pullen had been offered positions in other animal welfare agencies but declined those offers. Pullen eagerly accepted the role. To the LA/SPCA staff, Pullen is nothing short of a superwoman. Pulled in all directions on any given day, zipping between the two administration trailers and the shelter where the animals are housed is a balancing act for even the most experienced. “Kate is amazing. She is dogged in her focus and energy to get things done and she never stops,” says Maloney. For Maloney and the rest of the staff she’s the “silver lining” that emerged from the storm clouds.

To comprehend just how generous the “A’s” help is, one has to first understand the organization itself. Many mistakenly view the ASPCA as the parent company of other SPCA’s. In fact, the ASPCA is a private, non-profit chartered in New York. Like other humane societies and SPCA’s across the country, the ASPCA is its own independent entity. You could say that although they bear the same last name SPCA’s are not related or even kissing cousins.

The ASPCA is however the oldest animal welfare society in the country. Founded in 1866 by New York City aristocrat Henry Bergh, and modeled after the United Kingdom’s Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), the ASPCA was instrumental in introducing the idea of protecting animals from cruelty into the American conscience. The tenets that Bergh laid down serve as a foundation that drives the ASPCA to reach out to other organizations.

The “A,” which is celebrating 140 years this year, has been committed to helping other shelters across the country and its national outreach program which Morris directs does so in four specific areas: shelter outreach; veterinary outreach; humane education and legislative services. Hurricane Katrina brought that outreach to a new level.

Morris points out that their response was unprecedented in the ASPCA’s history because the magnitude of the disaster was unprecedented. “Hurricane Katrina was the 3rd largest disaster in U.S. history and the largest in terms of animals.” Working with her regional managers Morris and crew began running supplies and staff to the Gulf Coast area. “Laura [Lanza] began calling shelters all across the region and working the phone lines. From there she put together a very comprehensive list of shelters that were damaged and she flew into Baton Rouge to coordinate the field work.”

Again people play a major role in ASPCA’s support. “We sent 30 to 40 staff people, four to seven at one time. We sent vets, vet techs, humane law enforcement officers, people who knew Chameleon [animal shelter software]. We received an outpouring of support from people all over the country and we poured through the list to see who had a disaster response background and contacted 200 of them,” says Morris.

As the ASPCA staff came to the area’s aid with staff and supplies and set-up camp with us at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales, LA, they also brought with them a couple of vehicles including the New York State Disaster Vehicle. On the heels of Katrina, came Rita and again the “A” responded with a brand new adoption vehicle that was sent to Calcasieu Parish along with countless other support and supplies.

Lamar Dixon wasn’t the “A’s” first experience however with Ground Zero. The agency was also involved in disaster recovery efforts following the tragedy of 9/1l in New York City. Morris sees some similarities in terms of tragedy and national outpouring of support, but with the two big differences. “9/11 did not impact as many animals as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The number of animals impacted by 9/11 was under 500. The number of animals impacted by the hurricanes on the other hand number in the thousands.”

Additionally Morris points out, “The scope of the 9/11 disaster was finite. The disaster area was controlled and security was very tight.” The landscape of the disaster scene in the wake of Katrina and Rita was “widespread and almost infinite.”

Beyond the disaster itself what touched Morris and the ASPCA so much was the perseverance of those directly affected by the disaster. “We know this has been a rollercoaster ride for the LA/SPCA, from the time they evacuated their shelter and we were so inspired how in the face of so much loss and their own personal tragedies they were always looking out for the best interest of the animals,” says Morris.

The “A” also has a vision that their support can help impact the lives of animals in this region for the long term. To that end that have committed another $1.5 million for the entire Gulf Coast region to spearhead a major spay/neuter initiative. All told, the “A” has distributed $9 million in grants primarily to agencies in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. “Along with helping shelters recover from the immediate disaster by replacing physical structures we envision a multi-year recovery process that includes changing the face of animal welfare in the region. That means better awareness, better heartworm prevention, and increased sterilization. We want to help out with these efforts.”

More than simply helping with various efforts, The ASPCA has been instrumental in getting the LA/SPCA and the animals of New Orleans, firmly back on their feet. It’s a special kind of support that has left not just a footprint, but a permanent imprint on our hearts.

 

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