ASPCA: Saving lives with your help

Matt Lawson

MAY 1 ST 2014
AVA LUNSFORD

ASPCA: Saving lives with your help.

Matt Lawson
424 E 92nd St
New York, NY 10128-6804
(800) 628-0028
publicinformation@aspca.org
4/14/14

Ava Lunsford
Head of grants
San Jacinto junior college
8060 Spencer Hwy
Pasadena, TX 77505
Dear Ms. Lunsford:
The ASPCA, as a prominent force in the front lines of the war on cruelty, inhumane
treatment, and advancement of animal rights is deserving of your one million dollar grant.
Additional capital provided by your grant will allow the ASPCA to work wonders for animals
everywhere, as well as ensure cruel owners are punished, and lobby for laws which will not
only benefit animal kind, but ensure the prolonged safety of the food we eat.
As the first humane society to be established in North America we believe that our
experience, which was earned over the course of more than a century speaks for itself; we
are serious about abolishing cruelty, as well as ensuring the prosperity of animals touched
by such neglect.
Going forward we hope that you will side with us in the war on cruelty, and ensure a brighter
future for animal, and mankind everywhere. To contact us please call (800) 628-0028.

Sincerely,
2

ASPCA: Saving lives with your help.

Matt Lawson ASPCA anti-cruelty advocate

ASPCA: Saving lives with your help.

TABLE

OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND
VISION
MISSION
LONGEVITY
PURPOSE
ESTABLISHED NEED SERVED
PROGRAMS
VOLUNTEER SUPPORT
CLIENTS SERVED
BUDGET
CURRENT ISSUES
PET OVERPOPULATION
PUPPY MILLS
INDUSTRIAL BREEDING
DATA SOURCES
SUMMARY
REQUEST FOR FUNDING
EXPECTED RESULTS
WORKS CITED

ASPCA: Saving lives with your help.

INTRODUCTION
Background
The ASPCA or American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a privately funded
501(c) (3) non-profit corporation, with more than 2 million supporters, and thirteen
partnerships across the country. It is based in New York City, and is proud to be a major
contributor to the advancement of animal rights, and prevention of cruelty; both on a
national and local level.
Vision. The vision of the ASPCA is that the United States is a humane community in
which all animals are treated with respect and kindness [17]
Mission. The ASPCAs founder, Henry Bergh declared that the ultimate mission of the
ASPCA is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the
United States.[10]
History/Longevity. The ASPCA was the first anti-animal-cruelty to be established in
America, founded in 1866 by Henry Bergh. During Berghs tenure over-seeing the ASPCAs
efforts in nineteenth century America he helped advance the quality of life for dogs, cats,
and horses. During this period of time the ASPCA was responsible for the first ambulance for
horse rescue and the elimination of an inhumane dog catching service that killed as many as
three hundred dogs daily[16]. The ASPCA not only accomplished all of these feats, but they
also helped advanced veterinary medicine. In 1918 ASPCA doctors assisted in developing
uses for anesthesia, and in that same year also assisted in performing a ground breaking
surgery on a horses kneecap; something considered a distant possibility at the time. Up
until 1995 the ASPCA provided excellent animal control for the city of New York, but on
January 1st the contract between the ASPCA and New York expired with the ASPCA opting to
not renew citing that it was losing too many resources. During the 100 year contract
however many improvements were made, a drop in euthanasia per capita from 511 per
10,000 people to 53, and a prolific increase in the number of adoptions being the most
notable. Currently the ASPCA is dedicated to the focus of advancing animal rights and
improving the quality of existing shelters; as the human law enforcement division was
disbanded in December, with most of the officers in the humane division being terminated
by January of this year.
Purpose. The ASPCA is a multi-purpose foundation; providing and supporting shelters for
strays and victims of cruelty, fostering the advancement of animal rights through political action, and
ensuring every pet owner has the ability to access affordable health services for their pets. Without
the ASPCA providing these services grave consequences such as rampant feral animal populations,
animals suffering cruel owners treatment, or even pandemic caused by food borne illness may arise.
Established Need Served. The United States faces many problems regarding
quality of life for animals, overpopulation being a serious adversity in the eyes of the ASPCA.
In order to effectively combat overpopulation the ASPCA offers inexpensive spay/neuter
services, even going as far as having a mobile clinic capable of reaching under-privileged
neighborhoods. Without these services rampant health issues such as rabies resulting from
5

ASPCA: Saving lives with your help.

stray animal attacks will increase drastically. The ASPCA is also concerned with the practice
of excessive antibiotic use in modern day chicken farming. Many studies have
demonstrated such misuse leads to medically resistant bacteria that have been called one of
the worlds most pressing public health problems by the CDC[8] . Through governmental relationships the
ASPCA plans to bring this practice to an end.

Programs. The ASPCA has many programs, both locally and nationally, some of these
programs are:

For 30 years,
the offers
main domestic
to human
The Bergh memorial animal hospital
which
some animal
of thelinked
most
exposure
to
rabies
in
the
United
States
has
been
the cat. In
comprehensive veterinary care available.
the past
10 years,
the (the
number
of feral cat
colonies hasReform
Extensive lobbying for bills such
as H.R.
6083
Federal
Agriculture
exploded.[Weise]
and Risk Management Act of 2012).
Partnership programs with other humane societies across the nation aimed at
increasing the effectiveness of existing shelters.
Mobile animal health clinics that offer free or low cost spay/neuter or rabies
vaccinations. In 2008 the ASPCA served 18,480 pets in such clinics, ensuring the
safety and health of these pets, and their owners.

Volunteer Support. The ASPCA is supported by many types of volunteers; adoption

counselors, cat and dog caretakers, foster caretakers, veterinary assistants, behavioral rehabilitation
volunteers. As a nonprofit organization the ASPCA is possible due to the support received from
volunteers offering their time to save lives.

Clients Served. The ASPCA serves any animal in need. The ASPCAs far reaching
clientele base stretches from New York to farm animals across the United States, additional
shelters across the country, and even every American, rather directly through inexpensive
domesticated animal services such as spay/neutering, or indirectly through laws aimed at
reducing harm caused by improper breeding, food safety, or stray animals.

Budget
In 2012 the ASPCA collected a gross amount of $163,615,458 including revenue outside of
primary sources, largely due to contributions, making up a total 97.2% of the total revenue.
Federated campaigns and fund raising events however, each rose 2.4% and .3%
respectively. Expenses for the year 2012 totaled $168,616,519, with 64.7% going to the
programs operated by the ASPCA, 30.8% towards fundraising, and administrational acts
accounting for 4.5% [charity].

Figure 1.1: Charts showing revenue and expense breakdown of the ASPCA

Statistics Source: Charity navigator ASPCA charity rating and expense

ASPCA: Saving lives with your help.

Current Issues/Challenges
The ASPCA faces many challenges in todays world; pet overpopulation, puppy mills, and even
industrial chicken farming.

Pet overpopulation has many unfortunate effects; increased stray populations, health
risks posed towards humans, and the deaths of countless dogs and cats. An increased
number of strays poses many potential problems. Stray dogs may kill pets, contract rabies,
or even attack humans, which, when combined with the increased risk of rabies leads to a
deadly combination. This is why the ASPCA reaches out with affordable health services and
mobile clinics; the number one cause of rabies deaths in humans is from stray or feral dog
and cat bites [4]. The most unfortunate side effect being euthanasia of thousands often
times harmless, friendly pets that stray from their owners. This is why it is so urgent in the
ASPCAs eyes that every dog and cat be spayed or neutered; in order to prevent the deaths
of millions.
Each year, approximately 2.7 million animals are euthanized (1.2 million dogs and 1.4
million cats.[12]
Puppy mills are for profit businesses that hold mature female dogs in a state of near
slavery, just so that the owners can continue to make money from the puppies birthed, and

unfortunately, they are often killed or abandoned if they are unable to produce more puppies [11].
With an insatiable appetite for profit these mills disregard the genetic and physical health of dogs in
order to quickly breed more and continue to sell. The effects this has on the dogs can be horrendous;
kidney disease, endocrine disorders, deafness, respiratory disorders, as well as a predisposition to
mange, ticks, fleas, heartworm, and intestinal parasites due to the poor living conditions and care
puppies receive.

ASPCA: Saving lives with your help.

Industrial breeding of chicken is also of
concern to the ASPCA due to the vile living conditions
and selective breeding modern chicken are subjected
to. Modern chicken grow at a rate best described as
over bearing, considering that many are unable to
effectively support themselves due to the three
hundred percent increase in growth speed provided by
decades of selective breeding [1]. This leads to them
lying in their waste all day, often times leading to
infections due to open cuts and wounds the chicken
often sustain in cramped coups. This in turn leads to a
perpetual cycle of antibiotic use, ultimately posing an
immediate risk to humans due to antibiotic resistant
bacteria which end up in the chicken itself, anywhere
fertilizers are used, as well as anywhere slaughter
house worker goes while wearing contaminated
clothing, or anywhere slaughter house run-off ends up.
Fig 1.2: Difference in days to slaughter and slaughter weight for chicken 1925-2010
Source: "A Growing Problem: Selective Breeding in the Chicken
Industry." ASPCA

Data/Information Sources

Most of the information in this proposal was collected from the ASPCAs website; however,
sources outside of the ASPCA were used. These include: veterinary health specialist Dr.
Karen Becker, the vindicator newspaper, USA today and charity navigator.

ASPCA: Saving lives with your help.

SUMMARY
Request for funding
As a leading figure in the animal rights movement the ASPCA is in a prime position to
majorly influence the world in a positive way; preventing and abolishing the inhumane
treatment of animals, along with helping to address serious health risks associated with
modern day pet populations, and livestock farming methods. Additional financial aid is
needed, and without it these crucial changes cannot come to consummation causing
considerably chancy outcomes for animals and humans everywhere.

Expected results
If awarded the one million dollar grant many programs run by the ASPCA will be improved
upon, predominately political action committees furthering the advancement of animal
rights, shelter research and development, and legal advocacy to better assure that cruel pet
owners are punished.
These programs are crucial to bringing about positive change, and saving lives. The
ASPCAs political action committee is dedicated to lobbying for bills that protect animals
from inhumane conditions, and even ensuring pet owners are properly equipped to help
their pet overcome any illnesses [10]. The ASPCAs shelter development program strives to
research data patterns in order to develop a statistics based approach which allows for a
greater number of dogs and cats to be saved. The legal advocacy provided by the ASPCA is
aimed towards providing second chair legal support through legal services, and selective,
affirmative civil litigation in cases which may provide the framework for nationwide change.
Improving these programs will ensure a brighter future for both man and animal kind across
the United States.

ASPCA: Saving lives with your help.

WORKS CITED
-

(1) "A Growing Problem: Selective Breeding in the Chicken Industry." ASPCA. ASPCA,
n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.
(2) "About the ASPCA." ASPCA. ASPCA, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.
(3) "ASPCA Policy and Position Statements." ASPCA. ASPCA, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.
(4) Becker, Karen, Dr. "Grave Risks from So Many Stray Dogs and Cats..." Mercola.com.
N.p., 17 Feb. 2010. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
(5) Brittney, Lawrence. ASPCA. Britney Lawrence designs, California. JPG file.
(6) "Charity Rating." Charity Navigator. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.
(7) "Get Involved." ASPCA. ASPCA, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.
(8) "Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work." Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 21 Jan. 2011. Web. 24 Apr.
2014.
(9) "Influence Explorer." ASPCA. Sunlight Foundation, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.
(10) "Mission." ASPCA. ASPCA, n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
(11) Natalie Lariccia, A Warning on Puppy Mills, The Vindicator 25 Apr 2000.
(12) "Pet Statistics." ASPCA. ASPCA, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
(13) "Programs and Services." ASPCA. ASPCA., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
(14) "Puppy Mill FAQ." ASPCA. ASPCA, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
(15) "Structure." ASPCA. ASPCA, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.
(16) "The History of the ASPCA." ASPCA. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
(17) "Vision." ASPCA. ASPCA, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.
(18) Weise, Elizabeth. "Feral Cat Colonies Could Pose Rabies Risk, CDC Says." USA
Today. Gannett, 18 Aug. 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.
(19) "Why Are There Still So Many Antibiotics In America's Meat?" Prevention. Web. 24
Apr. 2014.

10