In 1866, life was very different. Transportation relied primarily on horses. The streets stank and the horses were property that was expected to perform. Or pay the consequences.
In 1863, a New Yorker, a diplomat named Henry Bergh stopped a carriage driver from beating his fallen horse. The world was not a friendly place and certainly not for animals.
Workhorses were forced to haul past the point of exhaustion. Dogcatchers stole pet dogs and held them for ransom. Dog fighting and cock fighting were ubiquitous entertainment. Bergh founded the ASPCA on the belief that "all animals are entitled to kind and respectful treatment and must be protected under the law."
The ASPCA received its charter on April 10, 1866 and the first anti-cruelty law was passed in New York on April 19, 1866 with the ASPCA receiving the right to enforce.
We are proud to have the the ASPCA headquartered here in NYC. They are active through the whole country but we in New York get the best of the best from them. Probably best known to us for their adoption center in Manhattan and their highly successful partnering with the NYPD since 2013 to combat animal cruelty, there are many, many facets of their work. Let me try to count the ways.
Did you know?
Medicine for animals
1918 ASPCA developed use of anesthesia in animals
1954 ASPCA began providing pathology and radiography
1961 ASPCA vets performed first open heart surgery on a dog
ASPCA provides veterinary services for New York families earning less than $75,000 a year
ASPCA provides free spay/neuter services
ASPCA put an ambulance for injured horses in 1867 on the streets, two years before New York's first human ambulance
If you ever took our CPR/first aid class or if you have our refrigerator magnet we give out to all our clients and to friends who visit us at events you know about ASPCA's Poison Control Hotline.
Poison control hotline - 24/7/365
Has helped over 3,000,000 cases in the 40 years they have been in existence
And as an informed New Yorker you probably do know about their work in
Municipal animal shelter and adoption service
Trap, spay and neutering feral cats
1993 first microchipping services
Spay/neuter/microchipping requirement for adopted animals
Disaster recovery post natural disasters
Enforcement and recovery when laws are broken such as with puppy mills or dog fighting such as the Michael Vick case
Work to pass legislation for animal protection at municipal and state levels
Animal Behavioral Center
Increased adoptions of difficult animals by 18.5% to date
The ASPCA is amazing. Everywhere you turn in the animal world they are there, doing good work both cutting edge and sustaining.
Show your support of the ASPCA. Perhaps your pup or kitty was rescued by their direct efforts but certainly they have benefited by the change in society's attitude that the ASPCA has caused and continues to foster every day.
Happy Birthday, ASPCA! You look great for 153 years old. And we'd like to make a DONATION to wish you another successful 153.
We remain in awe.