New York City Pets Fall Between the C**P

Courtesy Google Images

With almost 200 million dollars in the bank the aspca has terminated their animal cruelty law enforcement department lamenting that it is too small to handle the demand. Now it will be up to the New York Police Department (NYPD) to worry about cruelty to animals and respond accordingly.

I have never been silent regarding my disgust at the aspca amassing such funds by advertising outside New York and capitalizing from the widespread misimpression that they are a national umbrella organization that distributes resources to spcas in every state. Despite requests from spcas across the country to duly inform the public of this fact, they have steadfastly refused and so donors believing they are helping animals in their respective communities are often horrified to learn their gifts went to New York instead. This is particularly unfortunate in the estate arena where it is too late to correct the error.

But this is a stunning development. Can they not afford to expand their department and collaborate with local enforcement agencies? If they choose not to - what is their actual mission besides fundraising?

The New York Post recently reported that, in fact, NYPD is NOT responding to animal cruelty complaints and "may never do so". Meanwhile during this brutal winter on the east coast the animals must fend for themselves in the sub-freezing temperatures and snow.

So what is their new mission? Is it initiating lawsuits to protect animals? Last I looked they had to pay Feld Entertainment (Ringling Brothers) 9.2 million dollars to settle a lawsuit where it came out that the aspca improperly paid the plaintiff in the case.

Is it sheltering animals? Not so much after they stopped providing animal control services and now without their law enforcement department they may see fewer seized and rescued animals.

Is it merely acting as a corporate sponsor of rock and roll marathons or awarding a de minimus amount of out of state grants so they feed the national umbrella myth by appearing to be present in other states?

Is it, to paraphrase their television commercial, searching for hurt and abused animals in every dark corner? I invite them to look outside their doors.

So what is their new mission?

Just wondering....