A few weeks ago I could hardly wait to sit down to watch
the ABC 20/20 feature piece about the SPCA of Texas. The ABC cameras had
been on site at the SPCA for a few months last fall. The crew told me they
were doing a piece about how the SPCA of Texas rescues animals from
deplorable living conditions and also about the horrors of puppy mills. I
had been a volunteer for the SPCA of Texas for two years by that time and
had seen animals go from hopeless to happy lives thanks to the hard work
of the SPCA of Texas and their rescues. I remember Dave Garcia, VP of the
SPCA of Texas telling me about how they were going to try to do a rescue
once a month for a while. I told him over and over how much respect I had
for him and the SPCA of Texas. Some of my friends have adopted dogs from
the rescues. Some of the animals can't walk very well because of the tight
confinement at the puppy mills, but are doing better each day. When I look
at these animals I just think to myself that if it weren't for the SPCA of
Texas they would still be in miserable, unhappy conditions. To my dismay
instead of the 20/20 piece being about the SPCA of Texas and its admirable
rescues, it was actually turned upside down to make the SPCA of Texas out
to be the criminal, not the animal abusers. 20/20 said that the SPCA of
Texas took animals from people to make money for themselves! They made it
look like the SPCA of Texas convinced the judge to award them the animals
even though they weren't in that bad of condition. I must also say that
John Stossel never once visited the SPCA of Texas during the process. John
Stossel worked hard to try to make Dave Garcia out to be a liar. Dave
stood his ground in a very nice manner.
One of the greatest experiences I've had at the SPCA of
Texas was helping with a 300-dog rescue they conducted from a puppy mill
near Wills Point Texas. Most of the dogs had no teeth. Many of their eyes
were cloudy from improper nutrition. Some were blind. When I got to the
warehouse where the runs were set up I couldn't believe my eyes! It was
like pure Hell in there! The smell was unlike anything I'd ever smelled.
The empty cages these dogs were kept in for sometimes up to 10 years were
piled high against the wall. I looked at all the dogs and most of them had
been kept four or five to a small cage. They had lived on a grated cage
floor and some didn't have fur on their tails because it was all rubbed
off. I was there to bathe the dogs so if the SPCA of Texas got awarded
them they'd be ready to be spayed and neutered and put up for adoption.
The dogs were so sweet, but you could tell they never had any love or fun.
They liked being talked to nicely, but they really didn't understand what
it was. I put down bedding in their cages and started to clean them. They
just looked at me quietly, but they knew I was helping them. Some dogs had
to have their feet soaked first just to remove the feces packed on them
before their baths. After all the volunteers had bathed all of them their
spirits began to rise. Such a difference in just three days! Some of the
larger dogs had been tethered outside without shelter in the heat and cold
all their lives. Some couldn't see, but they were such troopers. Some had
a lot of trouble walking and many had arthritis; however, they all came up
to get and to receive love from the volunteers that they had been so
desperately in need of for so long. The dogs from this rescue were awarded
to the SPCA of Texas and the animals that were adoptable all got wonderful
homes.
If any of you watched the 20/20 report I hope my account
of the experiences I've had at the SPCA of Texas will ensure you that
20/20 and John Stossel didn't report the truth about the organization. The
SPCA of Texas doesn't need to steal animals to make money. They always
have plenty of animals in need of homes. They don't need to go out and get
them. The shame of it all was that at the end of the report John Stossel
told everyone to be careful who you give your money to, because there are
fraudulent charities out there. My heart sank.
Go on to Calling All
Animal-Lovin' Artists
Return to 19 June 2005 Issue
Return to Newsletters
** Fair Use Notice**
This document may contain copyrighted material, use of which has not been
specifically authorized by the copyright owners. I believe that this
not-for-profit, educational use on the Web constitutes a fair use of the
copyrighted material (as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law). If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your
own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright
owner.