First Seizure of New Partnership between SPCA of Texas and Dallas County District Attorney’s Office’s Animal Cruelty Unit

(Dallas, TX) May 17, 2013 – At a custody hearing yesterday at the South Dallas Government Center in Lancaster, Judge Valencia Nash awarded custody of two dogs seized from a Dallas residence on May 9 to the SPCA of Texas. The SPCA of Texas was also awarded $1,462.75 in restitution. However, the organization does not actually expect to receive any of this money to help offset costs.

If the animal owner does not file an appeal in the next ten days, the SPCA of Texas will at that time individually evaluate the animals for adoption or placement on a case by case basis. The Special Investigator for the District Attorney’s Office will be filing criminal charges in this case.

Under the authority of the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office’s, the SPCA of Texas took custody of two cruelly treated dogs from a residence in the Pleasant Grove neighborhood of Dallas on May 9.

The dogs were being housed in the back yard on the property without access to food or water. Both dogs are thin, and one is so thin its ribs and hip bones are showing through its skin. Both dogs were infested with ticks in their ears, between their toes and on their bodies. 

This seizure is the first for the new, first-of-its-kind partnership between the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office’s Animal Cruelty Unit and the SPCA of Texas. This partnership’s goal is to investigate cruelty complaints, remove animals that are being cruelly treated and prosecute individuals who abuse, torture and kill animals, holding them accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

The SPCA of Texas received a complaint of suspected animal cruelty at the property, and the SPCA of Texas Senior Investigator and Dallas County District Attorney’s Office Special Investigator visited the property on April 30. The investigator visited the property multiple times in the following days and left two tags on the front door of the residence, requesting that the owner contact the SPCA of Texas about bringing the dogs’ conditions into compliance with Texas Health and Safety Code. The owner did not respond to either tag.

The investigator determined that it was in the animals’ best interest to remove them, and obtained a seizure warrant on May 8. Upon arriving at the property that morning, the investigator made contact with the animal owner, who agreed that the dogs were in bad shape and that he was unable to care for them. The animal owner also stated that he had been treating the dogs’ tick infestation by washing them with dish washing soap. Dish washing soap is not an effective means of treating dogs for ticks.

The SPCA of Texas removed the animals, transporting them to the Jan Rees-Jones Animal Care Center in West Dallas the same day, where they were cared for until the custody hearing.

To help support the SPCA of Texas and its efforts to help abused, neglected and homeless animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at www.spca.org.

Dallas County District Attorney’s Office Animal Cruelty Unit
The Animal Cruelty Unit is a specialized division of the DA’s office dedicated to protecting animals from neglect and mistreatment. The vision of the new Unit is to be the voice for the voiceless, ensure justice and maintain safety for all Dallas County citizens.

With over 2,500 cases of animal cruelty reported in 2012, animal cruelty continues to be a serious problem throughout Dallas County. Recognizing the need for effective prosecution of offenders that neglect, torture and kill animals, the DA’s office sends a strong message to their perpetrators: Dallas County will not tolerate animal abuse.

Dallas County Commissioner Elba Garcia initiated a collaborative effort, bringing together the District Attorney’s Office, former Dallas County Commissioner Maureen Dickey, Gary Griffith representing Safer Dallas Better Dallas, and a variety of animal advocates, all of who were instrumental in the formation of the Dallas County Animal Cruelty Unit.

Felony Trial Bureau Chief, David Alex oversees the unit comprised of Assistant District Attorney Debbie Smith and Investigator Steve Wilson. Art Munoz, Senior Investigator for the SPCA of Texas Rescue & Investigations department, is also a Special Investigator for the District Attorney’s Office.

SPCA of Texas
The SPCA of Texas is the leading animal welfare agency in North Texas. The non-profit organization operates two shelters and three spay/neuter clinics located in Dallas and McKinney, and maintains a team of five animal cruelty investigators to respond to thousands of calls in eight North Texas counties. Moreover, the SPCA of Texas serves as an active resource center for an array of services that bring people and animals together to enrich each other’s lives.

The SPCA of Texas is not affiliated with any other entity and does not receive general operating funds from the City of Dallas, State of Texas, federal government or any other humane organization. The SPCA of Texas is dedicated to providing every animal exceptional care and a loving home. For additional information about the SPCA of Texas, visit www.spca.org.

On Standby to Transfer Animals from Granbury Animal Control

(WAXAHACHIE, TX; McKINNEY, TX) May 16, 2013 -- On Thursday, May 16, the SPCA of Texas transported 12 dogs from the Ellis County SPCA to the SPCA of Texas' Russell H. Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney in the wake of Wednesday night's deadly North Texas Tornadoes. This transfer will free up space at the Ellis County SPCA so the group may respond to animals affected by the storm and allow the owners of lost pets to find their family members close to where they live.

The SPCA of Texas also reached out to several other groups that may have been affected by the storm, and is on standby to transfer animals from Granbury Animal Control if needed.

To view and download photos of this transfer, visit https://www.dropbox.com/sh/k3cihlpystrma6x/8_ayiNagxN.

The SPCA of Texas contacted the Ellis County SPCA today to offer support by providing for the care and placement of these animals, who were already waiting to find new homes at the Ellis County SPCA at the time of the transfer. The SPCA of Texas will immediately begin evaluating the dogs for placement or adoption and provide spay or neuter surgery for those not already sterilized.

The Ellis County SPCA has plenty of space for incoming cats at this time, however their kennels were already near capacity with dogs before the storm hit. To continue to support the Ellis County SPCA, the SPCA of Texas may transfer more dogs in the coming days as other dogs that were in the shelter before the storm hit become available for adoption as their stray hold periods expire.

The SPCA of Texas asks the community to come forward and open their homes and their hearts to these animals and the hundreds already waiting for homes in the SPCA of Texas' two North Texas-area shelters. Further, the SPCA of Texas encourages people who have been considering adding a pet to their family to adopt and give these shelter animals a loving home.

If now is not the best time to introduce a new best friend to the family, the SPCA of Texas encourages people to help by giving to the SPCA of Texas at www.spca.org/donate.

To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, to help the SPCA of Texas fund future efforts like this and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org

First Seizure of New Partnership between SPCA of Texas and Dallas County District Attorney’s Office’s Animal Cruelty Unit

(Dallas, TX) May 9, 2013 – Under the authority of the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office’s, the SPCA of Texas took custody of two cruelly treated dogs from a residence in the Pleasant Grove neighborhood of Dallas yesterday.

The dogs were being housed in the back yard on the property without access to food or water. Both dogs are thin, and one is so thin its ribs and hip bones are showing through its skin. Both dogs are infested with ticks in their ears, between their toes and on their bodies.

This seizure is the first for the new, first-of-its-kind partnership between the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office’s Animal Cruelty Unit and the SPCA of Texas. This partnership’s goal is to investigate cruelty complaints, remove animals that are being cruelly treated and prosecute individuals who abuse, torture and kill animals, holding them accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

The SPCA of Texas received a complaint of suspected animal cruelty at the property, and the SPCA of Texas Senior Investigator and Dallas County District Attorney’s Office Special Investigator visited the property on April 30. The investigator visited the property multiple times in the following days and left two tags on the front door of the residence, requesting that the owner contact the SPCA of Texas about bringing the dogs’ conditions into compliance with Texas Health and Safety Code. The owner did not respond to either tag.

The investigator determined that it was in the animals’ best interest to remove them, and obtained a seizure warrant on May 8. Upon arriving at the property that morning, the investigator made contact with the animal owner, who agreed that the dogs were in bad shape and that he was unable to care for them. The animal owner also stated that he had been treating the dogs’ tick infestation by washing them with dish washing soap. Dish washing soap is not an effective means of treating dogs for ticks.

The SPCA of Texas removed the animals, transporting them to the Jan Rees-Jones Animal Care Center in West Dallas the same day, where they will be cared for until the custody hearing.

The custody hearing for the dogs is scheduled for Thursday, May 16 at 11 a.m. at the South Dallas Government Center located at 107 Texas Street, Lancaster, TX 75146, Judge Valencia Nash presiding.

To help support the SPCA of Texas and its efforts to help abused, neglected and homeless animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at www.spca.org.

Dallas County District Attorney’s Office Animal Cruelty Unit
The Animal Cruelty Unit is a specialized division of the DA’s office dedicated to protecting animals from neglect and mistreatment. The vision of the new Unit is to be the voice for the voiceless, ensure justice and maintain safety for all Dallas County citizens.
With over 2,500 cases of animal cruelty reported in 2012, animal cruelty continues to be a serious problem throughout Dallas County. Recognizing the need for effective prosecution of offenders that neglect, torture and kill animals, the DA’s office sends a strong message to their perpetrators: Dallas County will not tolerate animal abuse.

Dallas County Commissioner Elba Garcia initiated a collaborative effort, bringing together the District Attorney’s Office, former Dallas County Commissioner Maureen Dickey, Gary Griffith representing Safer Dallas Better Dallas, and a variety of animal advocates, all of who were instrumental in the formation of the Dallas County Animal Cruelty Unit.

Felony Trial Bureau Chief, David Alex oversees the unit comprised of Assistant District Attorney Debbie Smith and Investigator Steve Wilson. Art Munoz, Senior Investigator for the SPCA of Texas Rescue & Investigations department, is also a Special Investigator for the District Attorney’s Office.

SPCA of Texas
The SPCA of Texas is the leading animal welfare agency in North Texas. The non-profit organization operates two shelters and three spay/neuter clinics located in Dallas and McKinney, and maintains a team of five animal cruelty investigators to respond to thousands of calls in eight North Texas counties. Moreover, the SPCA of Texas serves as an active resource center for an array of services that bring people and animals together to enrich each other’s lives.

The SPCA of Texas is not affiliated with any other entity and does not receive general operating funds from the City of Dallas, State of Texas, federal government or any other humane organization. The SPCA of Texas is dedicated to providing every animal exceptional care and a loving home. For additional information about the SPCA of Texas, visit www.spca.org.

Beautiful 2013 Paws Cause Calendars Available for Purchase Online

A limited number of tickets will be available at the door on Sunday night. Ticket prices are $150 for an individual, $300 for a couple, $250 for a patron-level individual and $500 for a patron-level couple.

Paws Cause 2013 is the most successful event so far, thanks to Honorary Chairs, Stacey and Don Kivowitz, and Co-Chairs, Cassie Evans, Andie Comini and Jane Arrington. The compassionate, mission-minded volunteers of Paws Cause have been assisting the SPCA of Texas for a total of more than 25 years, and their work has saved thousands of lives.

“Animal overpopulation is one of the most urgent problems facing the Dallas Metroplex. By supporting the great work of the SPCA Spay/Neuter Clinic at Village Fair over the years, we are able to ensure the continuation of the services so necessary to combat this problem,” states co-chair Cassie Evans. “My hope is that by raising funds at Paws Cause 2013, we can reduce the number of unwanted animals, as well assist people in caring for their beloved pets.

All money raised through Paws Cause 2013 will go directly to the SPCA of Texas Clinic at Village Fair to help provide more than 12,000 free and low cost surgeries and 15,000 health and wellness treatments in 2013.  

The annual event will feature a fabulous silent auction, Bone Appetit restaurant raffle and a cork pull. The cork pull and Bone Appetit restaurant raffle will each be $25 per selection the night of the event. Attire is casual, and valet parking will be available. 

Paws Cause is also famous for its stunning desk calendars, on sale at www.spca.org/pawscause. This year’s must-have edition is a beautiful Green with Envy Green, and its pages feature Dallas’ who’s who and their beloved pets.

About Paws Cause

Paws Cause is a group of wonderful volunteers who raise funds to support the SPCA of Texas’ Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinic at Village Fair in South Dallas, which serves more than 20,000 pets each year. Last year, Paws Cause raised more than $200,000 to provide affordable spay/neuter surgeries to combat the heartbreaking problem of unwanted litters.

(KAUFMAN COUNTY, TX; McKINNEY, TX); February 19, 2013 -- At a custody hearing today at the Kaufman County Justice of the Peace, Pct. 4 Courthouse in Kemp, TX, Judge Johnny Adams awarded custody of 22 cruelly treated dogs seized from a Kaufman County property last Wednesday to the SPCA of Texas. The SPCA of Texas was awarded $5,767.35 in restitution. However, the SPCA of Texas does not actually expect to receieve any of this money to help offset costs.

If the animal owner does not file an appeal in the next ten days, the SPCA of Texas will at that time individually evaluate the animals for adoption or placement on a case by case basis

Wednesday, February 13, under the authority of the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Department, the SPCA of Texas took custody of 22 cruelly treated, neglected dogs and puppies from a property near Kemp, TX. To view photos taken at the scene, visit https://www.dropbox.com/sh/x95ldhd8zsu1hkh/LyhyH4ZKAt.

Most of the dogs were housed in cruel confinement and are suffering from a variety of health issues due to medical neglect, including eye discharge and other eye issues, enflamed skin and other skin issues, hair loss and long nails. One dog, a Basset Hound, had toenails so overgrown that one nail had permanently hooked over another toe and appeared stuck. One dog, a Chow mix, had so much hair loss, that his raw, enflamed skin was visible over most of his body.

Twelve of the dogs were housed in a small shed only large enough to fit a full-sized bed and a small, makeshift kitchen and closet. The odor of feces and urine could be smelled several feet away from the door to this shed, and was overwhelming inside of it. Eight of the dogs and puppies were housed in a large trailer that was so full of furniture, garbage, urine and feces that investigators had to carefully navigate a maze of refuse and feces. Two of the dogs were found inside small, makeshift pens in the yard. One of these pens was filled with feces.

A deputy with the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Department contacted the SPCA of Texas regarding the dogs on February 12 with information regarding the dogs' conditions. An SPCA of Texas Investigator visited the property the same day and concurred with the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department that it was in the dogs' best interest to remove them. During this visit, the SPCA of Texas Investigator observed a deceased dog that had been placed inside a dog food bag. The dog's body was so badly decomposed that it had begun to liquify. The Kaufman County Sheriff's Department obtained a seizure warrant on Wednesday, February 13, and the SPCA of Texas transported the dogs to the Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney, where they were cared for until today's custody hearing. 

"I appreciate Kaufman County officials for moving quickly to ensure these neglected dogs began receiving the care they so sorely needed", said Art Muñoz, Senior Investigator for the SPCA of Texas. "There is no excuse for neglecting animals to this extent, and the SPCA of Texas works hard to be a resource for people who may be struggling and in need of assistance. We have programs and services in place so that these situations can be avoided."

To help support the SPCA of Texas and its efforts to help abused, neglected and homeless animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at www.spca.org.

 Funding, Coordination Provided by Vafa Animal Shelter of Hashtgerd, Iran

(Dallas, TX, February 1, 2013) - Late Wednesday, January 30, the SPCA of Texas picked up Shellman, a 2-year-old female Shepherd mix from Dallas Fort Worth Airport and brought her to the organization’s Jan Rees-Jones Animal Care Center in West Dallas in hopes that she will soon find a loving home in North Texas. Just 22 hours previously, representatives of the Vafa Animal Shelter loaded Shellman into a travel crate and placed into an airplane in Tehran, Iran. The Vafa Animal Shelter, located in Hashtgerd, Iran, coordinated and paid for Shellman’s transfer to the SPCA of Texas thanks to individual sponsors the group had independently organized.

Photos and video of Shellman’s arrival are available at https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4iv1gybac8nvkdg/iQfMou6Mzq.

Shellman is indeed a female, however, her name suits her perfectly despite its masculine spelling. Named for a Swedish cartoon tortoise who is overly fond of food and sleeping, Shellman the canine certainly embodies those characteristics. Although she has only been at the SPCA of Texas for less than 24 hours, the shelter staff can already tell that she is a calm, gentle, easy going dog who gets along well with everyone she meets.

The SPCA of Texas is one of several groups that have been approached about taking in a dog from the Vafa Animal Shelter in an effort to find homes for the dogs in that shelter’s care, as finding homes for these dogs in Iran is almost impossible. An individual affiliated with the Vafa Animal Shelter who was returning to their home in North Texas offered to bring a dog back with them from the shelter in Iran. Vafa Animal Shelter then reached out to the SPCA of Texas, who agreed to transfer one dog to its West Dallas shelter, as the group had the ability to help.

In 2010, a senior Iranian cleric decreed via fatwa (religious ruling) that dogs are “unclean” according to Islamic law. Hunting, guard and sheep dogs are considered acceptable under Islamic law, but dogs kept as pets are not allowed.

Last year, the Iranian government proposed a complete ban on dogs. People who are found to possess dogs are fined, harassed and some dogs are removed from families found to be keeping them as pets. Animals removed by Iranian officials are said to be impounded and thereafter live in cruel conditions.

“We have provided for the transport of more than 80 dogs to shelters in North America and Europe in the last few years,” said Farah Ravon, Vafa Animal Shelter’s US representative. “We began seeking sponsorship to pay for these dogs’ transfer to pre-screened applicants who are interested in adopting a Vafa Shelter dog and to non-kill shelters internationally because most dogs do not ever have a chance to be adopted in Iran.”

“While the SPCA of Texas is focused on serving the North Texas community, we are happy that we can help find a home for Shellman, as we also take in transfers from out of state shelters and groups in times of need,” said James Bias, SPCA of Texas president. “For example, we have in the past taken in animals from well outside the North Texas area in the wake of natural disasters, those who have been rescued from cruelty and abuse and from groups who have contacted us in dire need of help, though certainly never from this far away.”

The SPCA of Texas will care for Shellman until she is ready to be placed up for adoption sometime in the next one to two weeks.

About the SPCA of Texas
The SPCA of Texas is the leading animal welfare agency in North Texas. The non-profit organization operates two shelters and three spay/neuter clinics located in Dallas and McKinney, and maintains a team of five animal cruelty investigators to respond to thousands of calls in eight North Texas counties. Moreover, the SPCA of Texas serves as an active resource center for an array of services that bring people and animals together to enrich each other’s lives.

The SPCA of Texas is not affiliated with any other entity and does not receive general operating funds from the City of Dallas, State of Texas, federal government or any other humane organization. The SPCA of Texas is dedicated to providing every animal exceptional care and a loving home. For additional information about the SPCA of Texas, visit www.spca.org.

About the Vafa Animal Shelter
The Vafa Animal Shelter (Vafa means “loyalty”), is located in Hashtgerd, about a 90-minute drive west of Tehran. The shelter reports that at any given time hundreds of stray dogs struggle to live on the streets in Iran, and since they are not altered, there is not a check on the number of dogs born to suffer. Dogs are often hit by cars when crossing busy highways, and those that do not die instantly linger in agonizing pain on the roadside for days until they finally perish.

The shelter provides food, water and shelter for as many dogs as they can, and the group also spays or neuters all dogs they take in.

The Vafa Animal Shelter relies solely on donations for its operation. To learn more about their efforts, you can visit the group’s website at http://cal.ir/main/ or visit them via Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vafa-Animal-Shelter/212270544782?fref=ts.

(HENDERSON COUNTY, TX; McKINNEY, TX); December 21, 2012--Before a custody hearing today at the Henderson County Justice of the Peace, Pct. 4 Courthouse in Poynor, TX, an agreement was reached between the SPCA of Texas and the animal owner, signed by the presiding judge, for the animal owner to relinquish ownership of 105 dogs to the SPCA of Texas. The dogs will now be individually evaluated for potential adoption or placement on a case by case basis.

Under the authority of the Henderson County Sheriff's Office, the SPCA of Texas seized 106 cruelly treated dogs--83 live dogs, 22 live puppies and one deceased dog--on Monday, December 17 from a suspected hoarder in Henderson County near Athens, TX. The bodies of seven deceased dogs were also found on the property.

The dogs were cruelly confined, were not receiving adequate care and were forced to live in their own filth inside a feces-filled, urine-soaked home on the property. Most of the dogs are suffering from eye discharge, flea infestation, long nails, severely matted fur and skin conditions. Approximately 60 of the dogs were confined to crates, and some crates included up to seven dogs.

The stench of ammonia was so intense that investigators wore personal protective equipment, including breathing apparatuses while inside the home. The SPCA of Texas measured the ammonia level in the residence to be 67 parts per million (ppm). As a point of reference, short term exposure to any ammonia level over 20 ppm or long term exposure to any level over 12 ppm can cause health problems in humans.

The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office contacted the SPCA of Texas on Wednesday, December 12 in an effort to support an ongoing investigation. Information sharing and joint efforts between the Henderson County Attorney’s Office, Adult Probation Office, Sheriff’s Office and SPCA of Texas Investigators led the Henderson County Sheriff's Office Animal Control Deputy to obtain a search warrant and animal seizure order on Monday, December 17. The SPCA of Texas removed the animals and transported them to the SPCA of Texas' Perry Animal Care Center at 8411 Stacy Road, McKinney, TX, where they were cared for until today's custody hearing. 

To help support the SPCA of Texas and its efforts to help abused, neglected and homeless animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at www.spca.org.

(WAXAHACHIE,TX); December 13, 2012— Before a custody hearing today at the Ellis County Justice of the Peace, Pct. 2 Courthouse in Waxahachie, TX, an agreement was reached between the SPCA of Texas and the animal owner, signed by Judge Jackie Miller, Jr., for the animal owner to relinquish ownership of 25 cats to the SPCA of Texas. The cats will now be individually evaluated for potential adoption or placement on a case by case basis.

Under the authority of the Ellis County Sheriff's Office, the SPCA of Texas took custody of 25 cruelly confined, neglected cats from a property in Avalon, Texas on Wednesday, December 5.

To download photos and video from the scene, please right click on the following link or copy and paste it into a browser: www.spca.org/elliscounty120512

The cats were living inside a feces-filled, urine-soaked house on the property, and the stench of ammonia was so intense that it burned SPCA of Texas staff members’ eyes, noses and throats.

The cats appeared to be suffering from various issues, including inflamed skin, eye discharge and wounds. Some of the cats had such severe eye discharge that they could not open their eyes. No food was observed in the residence.

The Ellis County Sheriff's Office contacted the SPCA of Texas on November 27 regarding the cats' living conditions. Upon visiting the property later that same day, an SPCA of Texas investigator agreed that the cats were cruelly confined due to the strong odor of ammonia that could be smelled from the end of the driveway, about 50 yards from the house, and that they were neglected. The animal owner refused to allow the Sheriff's Office and the SPCA of Texas access to the house. The animal owner also stated that they did not have the means to feed or care for the cats.

The SPCA of Texas returned to the property on Friday, November 30. The animal owner again refused to allow access to the house. At that point, the Ellis County Sheriff’s Department and the SPCA of Texas concurred that was in the animals' best interest to remove them.

The morning of December 5, the Ellis County Sheriff's Office sought a seizure warrant and the SPCA of Texas took custody of the animals. SPCA of Texas vehicles transported the animals to the Perry Animal Care Center at 8411 Stacy Road in McKinney, TX 75070, where they have been examined by medical staff and cared for until today's custody hearing.

This morning, under the authority of the Ellis County Sheriff's Office, the SPCA of Texas took custody of 25 cruelly confined, neglected cats from a property in Avalon, Texas.

To download photos and video from the scene today, please right click on the following link or copy and paste it into a browser: www.spca.org/elliscounty120512

The cats were living inside a feces-filled, urine-soaked house on the property, and the stench of ammonia was so intense that it burned SPCA of Texas staff members’ eyes, noses and throats.

The cats appear to be suffering from various issues, including inflamed skin, eye discharge and wounds. Some of the cats had such severe eye discharge that they could not open their eyes. No food was observed in the residence.

The Ellis County Sheriff's Office contacted the SPCA of Texas on November 27 regarding the cats' living conditions. Upon visiting the property later that same day, an SPCA of Texas investigator agreed that the cats were cruelly confined due to the strong odor of ammonia that could be smelled from the end of the driveway, about 50 yards from the house, and that they were neglected. The animal owner refused to allow the Sheriff's Office and the SPCA of Texas access to the house. The animal owner also stated that they did not have the means to feed or care for the cats.

The SPCA of Texas returned to the property on Friday, November 30. The animal owner again refused to allow access to the house. At that point, the Ellis County Sheriff’s Department and the SPCA of Texas concurred that was in the animals' best interest to remove them.

This morning, the Ellis County Sheriff's Office sought a seizure warrant and the SPCA of Texas took custody of the animals. SPCA of Texas vehicles transported the animals to the Perry Animal Care Center at 8411 Stacy Road in McKinney, TX 75070, where they will be examined by medical staff and cared for until the custody hearing.

The custody hearing will take place on Thursday, December 13 at 1:30 p.m. at the Ellis County Justice of the Peace, Pct. 2 Courthouse at 701 South I-35, Suite 1 in Waxahachie, TX, Judge Jackie Miller, Jr. presiding. 

If the SPCA of Texas is awarded custody of the cats, they would be individually evaluated for potential adoption or placement on a case by case basis.

To help the SPCA of Texas fund future efforts like this and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit http://www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at http://www.spca.org.

(HUNT COUNTY, TX; McKINNEY, TX; DALLAS, TX); October 2, 2012 -- Today at a custody hearing in Greenville, TX at the Hunt County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1, Place 2 courthouse, the SPCA of Texas was awarded custody of 48 cruelly treated animals seized from a Hunt County property last Wednesday. The SPCA of Texas was awarded $9,071.80 in restitution. However, the SPCA of Texas does not actually expect to receieve any of this money to help offset costs.

If the animal owner does not file an appeal in the next ten days, the SPCA of Texas will at that time individually evaluate the animals for adoption or placement on a case by case basis

Under the authority of the Hunt County Constable, Precinct 1, Terry Jones, the SPCA of Texas took custody of 48 animals--25 dogs, 14 rabbits, six cats and three pigs--from a property in Caddo Mills, TX on September 26. SPCA of Texas vehicles transported the dogs, rabbits and pigs to the Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney and the cats to the Jan Rees-Jones Animal Care Center in West Dallas that afternoon, where they were examined by medical staff and cared for until the custody hearing.

The animals were all living inside a feces-filled, urine soaked house on the property. The SPCA of Texas measured the ammonia level in the residence to be 18 parts per million (ppm). As a point of reference, short term exposure to any ammonia level over 20 ppm or long term exposure to any level over 12 ppm can cause health problems in humans.

All but one of the dogs were housed inside a room that was covered in feces and soaked in urine. The cats and rabbits were kept in another room, which was also covered in feces and soaked in urine. The three pigs, all weighing approximately 350 pounds, were also living in the house. One dog was near death at the time of the seizure, and an SPCA of Texas veterinarian euthanized the dog on site to prevent further suffering.

The SPCA of Texas received an anonymous complaint of suspected animal cruelty going on at the property and subsequently visited the property on September 13. The animal owner did not allow the SPCA of Texas Investigator access to the residence at that time, but the Investigator could smell the odor of urine and feces 20 feet from the front door. Upon further investigation, on September 25, the SPCA of Texas' Investigator and Chief Investigator, the Hunt County Sheriff's Department, Texas Adult Protective Services and the Hunt County Constable, Precinct 1 visited the property, and this time the animal owner allowed access to the residence. The Hunt County Constable, Precinct 1 and the SPCA of Texas concurred that it was in the animals' best interest to remove the animals. On September 26, the Hunt County Constable, Precinct 1 sought a seizure warrant and the SPCA of Texas took custody of the animals.  

To help support the SPCA of Texas' efforts to help abused, neglected and homeless animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at www.spca.org.

Offers 50% Off All Adoptions Today through Friday, August 31^st to Make Room for Incoming Pets

(DALLAS, TX/McKINNEY, TX); August 16, 2012—The SPCA of Texas urges pet owners in North Texas to take extra precautions to ensure their pets’ safety as aerial spraying of pesticides takes place in Dallas county and at least 10 North Dallas suburbs over the coming days. The organization also seeks to educate pet owners on how West Nile virus affects pets of all sizes.

According to the Texas Poison Center Network, the active chemical in the aerial spray was formulated to eradicate mosquitoes, and is low in toxicity to mammals. To ensure that pets stay safe and sound, the SPCA of Texas strongly recommends that pet owners bring their pets, especially dogs and cats, inside and keep all windows and doors tightly closed during the spraying. It is important to cover all outdoor, small ornamental fish ponds as well.

Larger pets and mammals such as horses and other livestock are not at a great risk to develop side effects from the spray. The SPCA of Texas does recommend bringing horses and other livestock inside a covered barn or stable during the spraying period, ensuring that younger or elderly livestock receive first priority.  

As in humans, West Nile virus can be transmitted to animals through a mosquito bite, though animals cannot transmit West Nile virus to any other animal or human through interaction. The precaution of spraying to eradicate mosquitos is one way to prevent the spread of West Nile virus and other mosquito-borne illnesses. People can also eliminate standing water on their property and use mosquito repellent products. It is important that pet owners consult their veterinarian to determine the most suitable mosquito repellent that is safe for pets, as some repellents are toxic to dogs, cats and other small mammals.

In dogs and cats, the symptoms of West Nile virus are temporary, not life threatening and a full recovery is typically expected.  

It is not common for dogs and cats to become infected with West Nile virus, and it is unlikely that dog or cat owners would notice any symptoms in infected pets. Known side effects of West Nile virus in dogs and cats are increased body temperature and lethargy.

Cats are at a greater risk of infection than dogs, but infected dogs and cats generally have mild symptoms. At this time, there is no preventive vaccine for dogs and cats to protect against West Nile virus.

Heartworm disease, which is an infestation of parasites in the heart and lungs of mainly dogs and cats, is a much greater threat to dogs’ and cats’ health than West Nile virus. As always, the SPCA of Texas recommends that dog and cat owners give their pets heartworm preventive to keep their pets from contracting this deadly disease, also borne by mosquitos.

West Nile virus is much more dangerous for equines, though there is a vaccine that can protect equines from the illness. The SPCA of Texas urges pet owners to protect their horses by getting them vaccinated by a licensed veterinarian. West Nile virus is not common in other livestock animals or fowl, however there have been confirmed cases of West Nile virus in horses in 48 states, including Texas.

Side effects infected horses exhibit can range from mild, flu-like symptoms to encephalitis, which means an inflammation of the brain, and the virus can be fatal. Currently there is no specific treatment for horses with West Nile Virus, but preventative measures are recommended.

If pet owners suspect their animals have been infected with West Nile virus, they should contact their veterinarian immediately.

(KAUFMAN COUNTY, TX; DALLAS, TX); July 27, 2012—The SPCA of Texas is offering $5,000 as a reward to any individual who provides information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator(s) who has allegedly taped a dog's mouth shut in Kaufman County. The dog was already deceased when it was found. The dog's body was transported to the SPCA of Texas' Jan Rees-Jones Animal Care Center in West Dallas, where a veterinarian will perform a necropsy to determine the cause of death. Kaufman County officials have initiated a criminal investigation in this case.

Anyone with information should contact the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department at 972-932-4337.

"There is a well-documented link between animal cruelty and human violence." said SPCA of Texas President James Bias. "Helping the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department bring the person or people who did this to justice will help stop the cycle of abuse."

The SPCA of Texas points out that animal cruelty is often an early warning sign of violent tendencies that will be acted out against people. Childhood cruelty to animals has been linked to later antisocial and aggressive behavior in several retrospective studies.

The SPCA of Texas is committed to stopping this cycle through maintaining an active Rescue & Investigations team that responds to reports of abuse and neglect in eight North Texas counties, through lobbying the Texas legislature to strengthen animal cruelty laws, by encouraging the community to get involved in their local and state government to advocate for animals and by encouraging individuals to report all suspected animal cruelty to their local law enforcement agency and the SPCA of Texas. To report suspected cruelty or abuse to the SPCA of Texas, call 214-742-SPCA (7722) or visit www.spca.org/abuse.

The SPCA of Texas will do everything in its power to assist law enforcement as they work with prosecutors to take this specific case as far as possible under state law and bring this individual(s) to justice.

(CANTON, TX; DALLAS, TX); July 25, 2012 -- Today, under the authority of the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Department, the SPCA of Texas took custody of six abandoned dogs from a property near Canton, TX. 

Two adult dogs and four puppies were found in a pen in the side yard of the property. No food was visible and the dogs' only water source was contaminated. One of the adult dogs has a severely matted coat, both adult dogs have hair loss and all of the dogs are infested with fleas. 

The Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Department contacted the SPCA of Texas regarding the abandoned dogs and an SPCA of Texas Investigator visited the property on July 20th. With no response at the front door of the residence on the property, the Investigator left a door tag requesting a call back. The SPCA of Texas' Investigator returned to the property on July 24th and saw that the door tag was still on the front door. Again, there was no response when the Investigator knocked on the door. As there was no indication that anyone was caring for the dogs, the SPCA of Texas called the Van Zandt County Sheriff's Department with the update. The Van Zandt County Sheriff's Department's Investigator and the SPCA of Texas' Investigator returned to the property on July 25th and saw that the door tag had still not been removed. Once more, there was no response when they knocked on the door and the dogs' conditions had not changed. The Van Zandt County Sheriff's Department obtained a seizure warrant, and the dogs were transported to the SPCA of Texas' Jan Rees-Jones Animal Care Center in Dallas, where they will be cared for until the custody hearing. 

The custody hearing will be held on Tuesday, July 31st at 3 p.m. at the Van Zandt County Justice of the Peace Pct. 1 Courthouse at 212 W. Garland, Grand Saline, TX, Judge Scott Shinn presiding.

"Thanks to quick work by Van Zandt County Officials, we are able to move the dogs to the safety of our shelter," said Colby Grady, Chief Investigator for the SPCA of Texas.

If the SPCA of Texas receives custody of the animals, the organization would at that time individually evaluate the animals for placement or adoption on a case by case basis.

To help support the SPCA of Texas and its efforts to help abused, neglected and homeless animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at www.spca.org.

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The dog days of summer are here. To support Texas electricity customers and the four-legged friends they have at home, TXU Energy and the SPCA of Texas are working together to build awareness for indoor temperatures and energy habits that conserve electricity without stressing pets who stay indoors on hot summer days and nights. TXU Energy is also inviting Texans to share how they will beat the heat this summer for a chance to win up to $10,000 via the new TXU Energy Beat the Heat Sweepstakes, and entrants with pets can also use photos of their four-legged family members as entries via Instagram.

The new pet-centric conservation advice could help support millions of pets and people across the state. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Pet Ownership Calculator, for the 5.7 million Texas households with electric choice, more than 1.5 million of them have dogs, cats or both. And, since many households have more than one pet at home, that could be more than 3 million dogs and cats.

”At TXU Energy, we know many people find it challenging to balance their dedication to keeping indoor pets cool and comfortable with their efforts to conserve electricity and cut cooling costs through the summer,” said Michael Grasso, chief marketing officer, TXU Energy. “Thanks to new summer savings programs and plans from TXU Energy — and great advice from our friends at the SPCA of Texas — we know that achieving both is easier than you may think.”

Pet-Friendly Energy-Efficiency Tips

During the dog days of summer, heat safety is crucial to your two-legged family members as well as your four-legged ones. TXU Energy and the SPCA of Texas urge pet owners to be cautious of high outdoor temperatures and know when to bring pets inside to prevent heat-related injuries, which could be deadly. Whether your pets are inside temporarily, sometimes or all the time, you can conserve electricity to save money on your bills and still keep them safe and comfortable. But there are do’s and don’ts. TXU Energy recently consulted the SPCA of Texas’ experts and veterinarians on how energy efficiency can affect indoor pets in the summer. This led to the following six tips:

1. Set your thermostat at 78 degrees while you’re out. You can set your thermostat to a higher temperature when nobody is home, but if you have a dog or a cat indoors, don’t set it higher than 78-80 degrees and don’t turn off your air conditioner. If your pet has a health condition, be sure to check with your vet on a good temperature setting. A programmable thermostat can make controlling your indoor temperature easy; and, with some models, you can do it via the Web or your smartphone.

2. Turn off lights and ceiling fans. To avoid wasting electricity, leave these off in rooms you’re not using, whether you’re home or away. According to the SPCA, if your pets are home indoors without you, natural lighting is the most soothing, even if it’s filtered by blinds, drapes or outside awnings. And, while the breeze of a ceiling fan against your skin may help you feel cooler, your pets don’t notice the difference like you do.

3. Treat sunny windows to reduce glare. While many pets enjoy basking in the sunshine that comes in from windows, remember that the sun’s glare can affect the indoor temperature in your home, leading your cooling system to switch on more frequently. Consider treating your windows with solar film, or close most of the blinds and drapes (OK, maybe not your pet’s favorite one…) to filter the light that can increase indoor temperatures.

4. Turn off TVs, radios and music. Leaving home electronics like TVs, radios or music turned on may keep your pet active in the daytime hours versus getting rest and relaxation while you’re away. According to the vets at the SPCA of Texas, this might make them lethargic once you’re home. So, if you want to spend quality time with them when you’re home, consider leaving these electronics turned off during the day — especially for cats, who are nocturnal by nature.

5. Leave out plenty of water. Regardless of the indoor temperature settings, be sure to leave plenty of water around for your pets to drink. You can drop ice cubes in their water bowls to keep their water cooler longer. And while some people leave faucets dripping to encourage their pets to drink, this wastes water and the electricity used to transport it to your home. A more energy-efficient option is a pet fountain that circulates water and uses minimal amounts of electricity.

6. Seal air leaks. You can keep more of your household budget for pet treats, toys and pampering if you avoid wasting the electricity that helps to cool your home. So, be sure your windows, doors and fireplaces are sealed to keep cool air from leaking out of the house when it’s hot outside. In the summer, air leaks can cause your cooling system to run more frequently. This uses more electricity and can lead to higher bills.

“We know pets are special family members for millions of folks in North Texas, and we are pleased to help those families make sure their pets’ health, safety and comfort are a priority this summer,” said SPCA of Texas President, James Bias. “Thanks to TXU Energy, families can have the peace of mind knowing they can save money on their electricity bills, while their pets enjoy cool temperatures indoors.”

For heat safety tips relevant to outdoor pets, go to http://www.spca.org/heatsafety.

Pet Lovers, Instagram and the TXU Energy Beat the Heat Sweepstakes

The grand prize of the new sweepstakes will be between $7,500 and $10,000, depending on the hottest local daily temperatures in Texas between July 2 and Sept. 29. One way pet lovers can enter is by using Instagram to share photos of how they or their pets are beating the heat this summer, following @txuenergy on Instagram and tagging the photo with #TXUEbeattheheat. To encourage safe temperatures for indoor pets, they can also title or tag their photos with their thermostat settings at home. Other entry methods include Facebook, Twitter and more. Texans 18 or older are eligible to enter, and the sweepstakes is not limited to Texans with pets. The winner will be randomly drawn from all eligible entries. For full details, go to the dedicated Facebook tab for the sweepstakes. No purchase is necessary to enter or win.

Controlling your home temperature via the Web or your smartphone

TXU Energy offers its customers the power to set, program and adjust their home temperature settings anywhere they have an Internet connection or a smartphone signal through its programmable thermostat, the Brighten ® iThermostat. The tool is an energy savings solution from TXU Energy, and it’s a great option for customers who have pets indoors. The tool makes it easy to access, change or set indoor temperatures while at home or away via a Web-enabled PC or tablet or a smartphone.

About the SPCA of Texas

The SPCA of Texas is the leading animal welfare agency in North Texas. The non-profit organization operates two shelters and three spay/neuter clinics located in Dallas and McKinney, and maintains a team of five animal cruelty investigators to respond to thousands of calls in eight North Texas counties. Moreover, the SPCA of Texas serves as an active resource center for an array of services that bring people and animals together to enrich each others’ lives. The SPCA of Texas is not affiliated with any other entity and does not receive general operating funds from the City of Dallas, State of Texas, federal government or any other humane organization. The SPCA of Texas is dedicated to providing every animal exceptional care and a loving home.

About TXU Energy

TXU Energy is a market-leading competitive retail electricity provider, powering the lives of more Texans than any other retailer. TXU Energy offers a variety of innovative products and solutions, allowing both its residential and business customers to choose options that best meet their needs, including exceptional customer service, competitively priced electricity service plans, innovative energy efficiency options, renewable energy programs and other electricity-related products and services. Visit txu.com for more information about TXU Energy. REP #10004.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50338270&lang=en

Contacts

TXU Energy
Amanda L. Ray, 972-868-7336
amanda.ray@txu.com

 Three-year, $5 million initiative will drastically increase number of animals sterilized and ease burden on system, reducing need for high rates of euthanasia

(DALLAS, TX) June 7, 2012 – Today, a group of animal welfare agencies and funders officially launched the first phase of a big new initiative, “Big Fix for Big D,” which will offer $20 spay and neuter surgeries, vaccinations and registration for animals in 18 of the highest-need zip code areas ofDallas. The $5 million initiative’s goal is to reduce the high rates of euthanasia at Dallas Animal Services and Adoption Center that is caused by unchecked breeding, resulting in thousands more animals than the system is able to handle.

“Dallas is home to an overpopulation of animals that are not sterilized, which is causing a burden on the City and unfortunate euthanasia of healthy dogs and cats at Dallas Animal Services and Adoption Center,” said James Bias, SPCA of Texas President. “It is our hope that through the collaborative efforts of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Texas (SPCA of Texas), Dallas Animal Services (DAS), the Kaufman County Animal Awareness Project (KCAAP) and Metroplex Animal Coalition (MAC), along with pet owners throughout the Metroplex, that the number of unsterilized animals can be dramatically decreased. But most importantly, we want to relieve animal suffering as a product of the thousands of unwanted and homeless puppies and kittens that are born in our community each year.”

“This unique partnership will make a major difference in the animal overpopulation problem, and is a testament to a spirit of cooperation among animal welfare agencies inDallas,” said Elaine Munch, Metroplex Animal Coalition President. “In fact, the communities seeing the biggest success with spay/neuter programs are those in which several agencies partnered to do more together than they could do separately.”

The first year of the “Big Fix for Big D” initiative will be funded by the Companion Animal Funders Coalition, which includes the City of Dallas, The Dallas Foundation, The Meadows Foundation, PetSmart Charities®, The Rees-Jones Foundation and the Summerlee Foundation.

The first phase of the Big Fix for Big D initiative will focus on owned dogs and cats and feral/free-roaming cats in City of Dallas neighborhoods located south of I-30. The 18 zip codes include: 75203, 75207, 75208, 75210, 75211, 75215, 75216, 75217, 75223, 75224, 75227, 75232, 75233, 75236, 75237, 75241, 75249, and 75253.

Pet owners who reside in these zip codes can find more information on www.BigFixforBigD.com or by calling one of the agencies who will be performing the procedures: DAS (214-670-6800 – for informational calls only, no appointments taken on this line), KCAAP (972-472-3500), MAC (972-498-8800) and SPCA of Texas (214-742-SPCA). Residents will need to provide proof of residency at the time of surgery. The $20 surgeries, vaccinations and registration will be available starting June 7.

The target zip codes for the first phase of the program were chosen because: 

• The greatest number of animal-related 311 calls originates in these zip codes. Incoming complaints are categorized as (1) loose/stray animal; (2) aggressive/dangerous animal; (3) sick or injured animal; or (4) pick up unwanted animal.
• These zip codes include the top 10 originating zip codes for DAS intake.
• A survey of pet owners funded by the Summerlee Foundation identified the Southwest region of the city as home to the greatest portion (36%) of respondents who were least likely to spay/neuter their pets.

“We are excited to see the positive effect this will have on our community and the animals that are suffering,” said Bonnie Hill, KCAAP President. “Once we implement the first phase in these 18 high-need zip codes, we will reevaluate and determine the next areas to grow the program. In three years, it’s realistic that we could significantly reduce euthanasia rates at Dallas Animal Services by increasing spay and neuter surgeries. This new program can be the solution to a problem that has been looming over the animal welfare community for years.”

“The City of Dallas is proud to be a partner in the Big Fix for Big D project,” said Jody Jones, DAS Division Manager.  “As part of our commitment to saving lives, our focus must be on creating a more humane community for the animals where pets are sterilized and provided the appropriate level of care.  The Big Fix for Big D will give citizens access to resources, thereby improving the quality of life for the animals and people of our community.”

Targeting specific zip codes during specific timeframes will allow for better tracking of each phase of the program. The partner agencies estimate that that 75 percent of dogs and cats in the 18 zip codes are not sterilized. The participating animal welfare groups will be working to sterilize both owned pets and feral and free roaming cats.

For more information on how to take part in the “Big Fix for Big D,” visit www.BigFixforBigD.com.  

About Big Fix for Big D

The Big Fix for Big D initiative is a multi-year effort of four community partners to spay or neuter tens of thousands of pets inDallasto significantly diminish numbers of unwanted litters, with the ultimate goal of reducing animal euthanasias at Dallas Animal Services. Through the Big Fix for Big D initiative, the City ofDallas Animal Servicesand Adoption Center (DAS), Kaufman County Animal Awareness Project (KCAAP), Metroplex Animal Coalition (MAC) and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Texas (SPCA of Texas), will offer spay/neuter surgeries, vaccinations and registration for only $20.

The Companion Animal Funders Coalition has committed $1.3 million to fund the first year of the Big Fix for Big D initiative. Members include the City ofDallas, The Dallas Foundation, The Meadows Foundation, PetSmart Charities®, the Summerlee Foundation and The Rees-Jones Foundation.

Launching in June 2012, the Big Fix for Big D project in its first year will target owned dogs and cats and feral/free roaming cats in 18 Dallaszip codes located south of I-30. The goal is to decrease animal intakes at Dallas Animal Services and AdoptionCenterby 30% after three years. For more information, visit www.BigFixforBigD.com. 

(UVALDE, TX/McKINNEY,TX); April 26, 2012—The SPCA of Texas transported 68 dogs from Uvalde, TX to its Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney, Sunday, April 22, 2012. The SPCA of Texas partnered with the Uvalde Humane Society to transfer these dogs into our shelters in Dallas and McKinney in an effort to find homes for them. The dogs had previously been seized from inhumane conditions.

To download photos of the transfer, taken in Uvalde, TX, visit www.spca.org/uvaldetransfer.

The SPCA of Texas has evaluated the dogs for potential adoption or placement on a case by case basis. Although we transfered in 68 new dogs, the SPCA of Texas is accepting animals as usual from the North Texas community.

The dogs were part of a seizure of 209 animals—197 dogs and 12 cats—on Tuesday, April 3^rd from the Friends of Uvalde Animal Shelter, a no-kill shelter in Uvalde, TX, amid allegations of medical concerns and filthy, overcrowded cages on the property. Volunteers from the Uvalde Humane Society have cared for the animals since the seizure, and the Uvalde Humane Society was awarded custody of the animals at a civil hearing on Wednesday, April 11^th. Many of the animals have been transferred to other groups from across the state of Texas since the hearing. These 68 dogs were the last group to be transferred from the original group of 209 animals.

Although the SPCA of Texas’ Rescue and Investigations department currently investigates allegations of animal cruelty and abuse in eight counties in North Texas, the organization has had an open investigation on this case since 2004, when the organization travelled state-wide.

The ongoing investigation in this case gathered momentum after the strengthened animal cruelty laws went into effect in 2010. Immediate action was taken in early April when new information came to light of neglected animals living in filthy, overcrowded cages. The SPCA of Texas also sent its Chief Investigator, Colby Grady, to consult with the Uvalde County Attorney at his request before the animals were seized, as the SPCA of Texas had been involved with this case previously.

“The county appreciates Mr. Grady’s assistance in this case,” said John Dodson, Uvalde County Attorney. “I hope this case will generate discussion on addressing animal control and spay and neuter in Uvalde County. Times are changing, our community is changing and we’re glad these animals are now being cared for.”

“I was happy to consult with the Uvalde County Attorney in this case,” said Colby Grady, Chief Investigator for the SPCA of Texas. “Thanks to stronger animal cruelty laws and the education of local law enforcement authorities, we can all do more to help cruelly treated animals in Texas.”

The SPCA of Texas encourages people who are considering adding a pet to their family to adopt and give all the animals in our shelters the loving homes they deserve. If now is not the best time to introduce a new best friend to the family, please help us rescue, heal and find homes for the animals in our care by donating at www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To see a full listing of all available animals at the SPCA of Texas, visit www.spca.org/findapet.

To help the SPCA of Texas fund future efforts like this and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at www.spca.org.

DALLAS - The SPCA of Texas is increasing the reward it is offering to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the person or persons who allegedly set a dog on fire in Pleasant Grove. Several supporters have pledged funding to allow the SPCA of Texas to increase the reward, including received from an anonymous donor and $5,000 from the Murrell Foundation.

Dallas police and Dallas Animal Services responded to the complaint in Pleasant Grove on April 4 and an animal cruelty investigation is now in progress. The puppy, named Justice, was being cared for by DFW Rescue Me, but died last week from his injuries. Dallas Animal Services is asking the individuals who videotaped and photographed the incident to come forward, or anyone with information that will lead to the arrest and prosecution of individuals involved in this case to call Crime Stoppers at (214) 373-8477. All calls will be confidential.

"A person who commits this type of torture should be accountable for this vicious act,” said SPCA of Texas President James Bias. “There is a well-documented link between animal cruelty and human violence. Assisting Dallas Animal Services and the Dallas Police Department with bringing this person or persons to justice will help stop the cycle of abuse."

The SPCA of Texas points out that animal cruelty is often an early-warning sign of violent tendencies that will be acted out against people. Childhood cruelty to animals has been linked to later antisocial and aggressive behavior in several retrospective studies.

The SPCA of Texas is committed to stopping this cycle through maintaining an active Rescue & Investigations team that responds to reports of abuse and neglect in eight North Texas counties, through lobbying the Texas legislature to strengthen animal cruelty laws, by encouraging the community to get involved in their local and state government to advocate for animals and by encouraging individuals to report all suspected animal cruelty to their local law enforcement agency and the SPCA of Texas. To report suspected cruelty or abuse to the SPCA of Texas, call 214-742-SPCA (7722) or visit www.spca.org/abuse.

The SPCA of Texas will do everything in its power to assist law enforcement as they work with prosecutors to take this specific case as far as possible under state law and bring this individual(s) to justice.

The SPCA of Texas is offering a $5,000 reward to anyone with information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for allegedly setting a puppy on fire in Pleasant Grove. The injured puppy is now being cared for by DFW Rescue Me.

Dallas police responded to the complaint in Pleasant Grove on April 4. An animal cruelty investigation is now in progress. Dallas Animal Services (DAS) has created a special hotline to help solve the case.

DAS Animal Cruelty Supervisor Domanick Munoz said anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (214) 373-8477. All calls will be confidential.

(DALLAS, TX); April 5, 2012 -- Today, Colleen Cotton-Ogden agreed to a plea bargain, and pleaded no contest to ten charges of misdemeanor animal cruelty. In the plea bargain, Cotton-Ogden received two years deferred adjudication, a $2,000 fine, and special conditions of probation, which include: mental health evaluation and counseling by a licensed counselor certified in Anicare (a treatment protocol for people who have committed animal cruelty); she cannot possess or transport any animals; and she must allow unannounced spot checks. The Dallas County District Attorney's Office says that if she complies with the probation conditions for one year, they will not prosecute her on any of the other animals.

Prior to a custody hearing on Wednesday, October 26, 2011, at Duncanville City Hall, an agreement was reached between all parties involved regarding 108 animals seized from a Duncanville property on Friday, October 21, 2011. The animal owner, her attorneys, the City of Duncanville and the SPCA of Texas reached an agreement for the animal owner to relinquish ownership of the animals to the SPCA of Texas, and that restitution would be waived. Judge Kent Traylor signed the agreement.

To view photographs taken at the scene, please visit www.spca.org/duncanville10212011.

Under the authority of the Duncanville Police Department, the SPCA of Texas seized 108 cruelly confined dogs and cats on Friday, October 21, 2011 from a Duncanville, TX property. The animals--102 dogs and six cats--were being kept in and around three feces-filled, urine-soaked houses on the property, and were not receiving proper food, water or care. The smell of urine and feces was overwhelming throughout the property.

The cats and several of the dogs were living in filthy conditions in the house situated closest to the street. The cats were kept in a small, filthy room attached to the garage of the first house, where they had no choice but to live in their own feces and urine. Eight to ten dogs were living, some in rusted crates and some loose, in a room accessible from a bedroom in this first house. The floor in this room was decaying, and it was coated in feces, urine and filthy bed sheets and blankets. The door to this room had been sealed off with industrial tape and hidden by a curtain.

The second house contained approximately 20 dogs who were living in deplorable conditions. These dogs were housed inside filthy, rusted and hair-encrusted wire cages that were caked in feces and urine; their food mixed in with feces, hay and bed sheets. In many cases, the feces mixture was stacked so high that SPCA of Texas staff members had to force the doors of the crates open by bending them enough to gently remove the dogs in order to prepare them for transport. The walls inside this house were covered with filth and cobwebs, and the floor was almost invisible under a layer of excrement anywhere from a few inches to a foot deep. 

Approximately 70 dogs were living in and around the third house on the property. Many of these dogs were also kept inside rusted wire cages and pet carriers scattered throughout the house, but mainly in the kitchen, pantry, laundry room and main hallway areas. Special shelving had been constructed in a room off of the kitchen of this house that appeared to be specifically designed to house dogs stacked in cages. Several of these dogs were observed gnawing on the bars. The areas of this house that contained dogs were covered in urine and feces. Dogs were also kept in large, filthy pens outside the house. 

The SPCA of Texas had received information that the animal owner was a part of a rescue group and was separated from that group to start her own purported rescue group called Elliot's Friends Rescue. The animal owner was allegedly transferring animals from at least one municipal shelter. It is important to note that although animal shelters need a license in order to operate in Texas, rescue groups do not. Some licensed shelters are put under such pressure to not euthanize animals for any reason that they end up transferring animals to anyone willing to accept them. Some rescue groups that end up taking more animals than they can reasonably handle then often end up warehousing these animals. 

The rescue groups that the SPCA of Texas works with are all committed to finding homes for animals and giving those animals the best of care until they are adopted into loving homes, not merely hoarding them like what was witnessed last week. Licensed shelters and reputable rescue groups are fully transparent in their communications, policies and procedures; allow you to see where their animals are housed; and have standards of care that include cleaning regimens, proper documentation of all treatments that animals have received and a focus on finding homes for the animals in their care. By adopting from these groups, the public can help eliminate the so-called rescue groups that wind up cruelly treating animals.

As always, the SPCA of Texas urges the public to contact law enforcement or contact the SPCA of Texas to report suspected animal cruelty or abuse. People can make a report to the SPCA of Texas by visiting www.spca.org/abuse.

The SPCA of Texas received a call from the Duncanville Police Department on Wednesday, October 19, 2011, and an SPCA of Texas Investigator visited the location that day. Upon discovering the cruel confinement, inadequate food and water and filthy living conditions, the Duncanville Police Department and the SPCA of Texas Investigator agreed that the animals were in need of immediate care. The Duncanville Police Department obtained a seizure warrant and the SPCA of Texas transported the dogs and cats to the SPCA of Texas' Perry Animal Care Center at 8411 Stacy Rd. in McKinney, TX.

The animals were individually evaluated for potential placement or adoption on a case by case basis.

To help support the SPCA of Texas and its efforts to help abused, neglected and homeless animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at www.spca.org.

(LANCASTER, TX; DALLAS, TX); April 4, 2012 -- The SPCA of Texas transferred 28 dogs, 14 puppies and 4 cats and 2 kittens from Lancaster Animal Services today so that Animal Services staff may concentrate on housing pets affected by yesterday's storms and reuniting Lancaster residents with pets who became lost during the storms. The animals in this transfer are those that were in the Lancaster shelter prior to the storms that could be available for adoption, not any animals that were affected by the storms.

To view photos of this transfer, visit www.spca.org/lancastertransfer.

The nursing mother dogs and their litters, as well as all of the cats, will be housed at the SPCA of Texas' Jan Rees-Jones Animal Care Center in West Dallas. The rest of the dogs will be housed at the SPCA of Texas' Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney. The SPCA of Texas will individually evaluate the animals for placement or adoption on a case by case basis. Those interested in adopting animals from this transfer may stay tuned to www.spca.org/findapet to view animals from this transfer as they become available for adoption.

Lancaster residents who are looking for their lost pets should visit Lancaster Animal Services located at 690 East Main Street.

The SPCA of Texas advises anyone who has lost a pet to check in as soon as possible with their local animal care and control agency, visit that agency and any other nearby animal care and control facilities frequently, put up posters around their neighborhoods, post the pet's information to online lost/found pet sites and don't give up. It can sometimes take days or even weeks for animals frightened by storms to come out of hiding and find their way into an animal care agency.

The SPCA of Texas reminds people that the organization does not take in strays, but refers people who have found stray pets or are looking for strays to the animal care and control agency nearest to where the pet was found. 

To help support the SPCA of Texas and its efforts to help abused, neglected and homeless animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at www.spca.org.

(WILLS POINT, TX; McKINNEY, TX); March 21, 2012 -- Under the authority of the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Department, the SPCA of Texas seized 35 animals—22 dogs, 11 cats, one pig and one goat—on Wednesday, March 21st from a puppy mill in Wills Point, TX. The animals were cruelly confined, forced to live in their own filth and were not receiving proper water or proper care. 

To view photos of the animals, taken at the SPCA of Texas’ Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney, TX today, visit www.spca.org/vanzandt032112.

Inside the residence, four dogs were confined to small crates that were filled with feces and urine without access to water. The residence had a strong smell of ammonia that could be sensed from outside the door. Outside the residence, 18 dogs, 11 cats, 1 pig and 1 goat were living in their own waste and other debris inside pens and cages. One cat was found living inside what appeared to be a bird cage. These animals did not have access to an appropriate water source.

All of the animals were living in unsanitary conditions, which were infested with mice, roaches and fleas. The animals are suffering from a variety of issues, including hair loss, eye discharge, long nails and flea infestations, and many are thin. The pig has mange and extremely overgrown hooves. The goat is suffering from an abscess.

The animal owner and a family member both stated today that the animal owner had been breeding the dogs and selling them.

Puppy mill owners breed dogs for the purpose of selling the puppies for a profit, and the living conditions of the dogs comes a distant second. If you suspect you've found a puppy mill, the SPCA of Texas encourages you to report inhumane conditions and animal neglect to your local law enforcement agency and to the SPCA of Texas at www.spca.org/knowpuppymills.

The Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Department contacted the SPCA of Texas on March 14th regarding suspected animal cruelty. The SPCA of Texas then attempted to work with the animal owner to bring the animals’ living conditions into compliance with Texas Health and Safety Code. With no response from the animal owner, the SPCA of Texas contacted the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Department, and on March 20^th, SPCA of Texas’ investigators and Van Zandt County officials visited the property. As the animals’ living conditions had not improved, the SPCA of Texas and the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Department concurred that the animals needed to be removed.

The custody hearing will be held on Thursday, March 29th at 10 a.m. at the Van Zandt County Justice of the Peace Pct. 3 Courthouse at 145 North Fifth Street in Wills Point, TX, Judge Herbert Dunn presiding.

If the SPCA of Texas receives custody of the animals, the organization would at that time individually evaluate the animals for placement or adoption on a case by case basis.

To help support the SPCA of Texas and its efforts to help abused, neglected and homeless animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at www.spca.org.

First Day of Spring Meet and Greet Adoption Event Tuesday, March 20

WHAT:   To kick off the first day of spring, the SPCA of Texas is hosting a “meet and greet” horse and donkey adoption event on Tuesday, March 20 from Noon to 6 p.m. at the Perry Animal Care Center at 8411 Stacy Road in McKinney.

To view all the available livestock pets, including pot-bellied pigs, before Tuesday, visit www.spca.org/findapet. To begin the adoption process, fill out the adoption application at www.spca.org/adoptlivestock today.

Although some of the 30 livestock pets who are waiting for their forever homes at the SPCA of Texas right now have been through some very difficult times, these big guys and gals still have some “spring in their step,” and they are waiting for their second chance at life and love as gentle companions in your herd.

HOW:    To adopt a livestock animal from the SPCA of Texas, prospective adopters fill out a livestock adoption application at www.spca.org/adoptlivestock.

To see adoptable horses and donkeys prior to the meet and greet, visit www.spca.org/findapet.

The adoption fee is $150 for horses, $100 for donkeys and $25 for pot-bellied pigs.

WHEN:  Tuesday, March 20
            Noon to 6 p.m.

WHERE: SPCA of Texas’ Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney
             8411 Stacy Rd, McKinney, TX 75070

WHY:     Horses and donkeys are wonderful companion animals for those who are familiar with and can provide the proper care for them. And, if your pasture is in need of a security guard, consider adopting a donkey.

Horses and donkeys available for adoption at the SPCA of Texas are often rescued from inhumane conditions, though some are owner surrenders. In fact, in 2011 alone, the SPCA of Texas’ Rescue and Investigations team seized 40 horses and donkeys from inhumane conditions all over North Texas. The team serves eight counties, including Dallas, Ellis, Fannin, Grayson, Hunt, Kaufman, Rains and Van Zandt

WHAT:      In an effort to spay, neuter, vaccinate and find homes for more animals in North Texas, the SPCA of Texas offers a new program, called “Spay, Don’t Litter,” that provides free spay surgery and free Rabies and Distemper combination vaccines for female cats and dogs. This program is available at any of the SPCA of Texas’ three spay/neuter and wellness clinics when that female’s litter of puppies or kittens is surrendered by their owner to either of the SPCA of Texas’ two animal care centers to be spayed and neutered, vaccinated and placed up for adoption.

To surrender an owned litter of puppies or kittens, set up a reservation by calling 214-742-7722 (SPCA), Mondays through Fridays. The SPCA of Texas takes in surrendered animals seven days a week at its two shelters. To take advantage of the free spay and vaccinations for the mother, make the appointment by calling 214-742-SPCA (7722) or by visiting www.spca.org/spayneuter. Bring the surrender contract for the litter to the appointment to receive the surgery and vaccinations at no charge.

The free vaccine portion of this special offer, available while supplies last, is made possible through a generous grant from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals (ASPCA).

CONTACT:  Call 214-742-SPCA (7722) or visit www.spca.org for more information

WHERE:     Jan Rees-Jones Animal Care Center and
                  Martin Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinic in West Dallas
                  2400 Lone Star Drive
                  Dallas, TX 75224

                  Russell H. Perry Animal Care Center and
                  Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinic in McKinney
                  8411 Stacy Road
                  McKinney, TX 75070

                  Village Fair Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinic in South Dallas
                  4830 Village Fair Drive
                  Dallas, TX 75224

WHY:      Spaying, neutering and vaccinating pets saves lives by preventing unwanted litters, keeping thousands of animals off the streets and stopping the spread of dangerous illnesses like Rabies, Parvo and Distemper.

“The SPCA of Texas is offering this program to help prevent the cycle we have seen in the past, in which people would surrender an unwanted litter and then surrender another litter just a few months later,” said SPCA of Texas President James Bias. “Spaying mother dogs and cats puts an immediate stop to unwanted litters, and spaying or neutering the mothers’ offspring before putting them up for adoption stops the cycle of unwanted pets in its tracks while providing homes for pets in need.”

Having pets spayed and neutered is the most important way to prevent pet overpopulation and ensure that animals live happy, healthy lives in loving homes by decreasing roaming tendencies and aggression and preventing certain forms of cancer in pets. Vaccinating pets ensures that their immune systems can protect them from dangerous and life-threatening viruses and bacteria. Texas law also requires Rabies vaccinations for pets. Further, veterinary wellness care is a critical component of preventative care for cats and dogs.

(VAN ZANDT COUNTY, TX); Wednesday, February 29, 2012--Under the authority of the Van Zandt County Sheriff's Department, the SPCA of Texas seized 27 birds--17 hens and ten fighting roosters--and 80 eggs from a property on FM 1861 located northeast of Athens, TX on Sunday, February 26th. The location was also the site of a shooting.

Law enforcement had asked that the SPCA of Texas wait to post any information on this matter pending the ongoing investigation. The Van Zandt County Sheriff's Department requests that any individuals with information regarding the shooting that took place on the property contact them at (903) 567-4133 or contact Van Zandt County Crime Stoppers at (903) 567-STOP (7867).

The roosters were all housed in wooden transport crates commonly used by cockfighters while the hens were loose on the property. The eggs were found inside incubators in the residence on the property.

The Van Zandt County Sheriff's Department responded to the property regarding other, unrelated issues on Sunday, February 26th. Having found animals on the property, the Sheriff's Department contacted the SPCA of Texas for assistance with the birds and eggs. The SPCA of Texas' Chief Investigator and Senior Humane Investigator immediately responded, and under the authority of the Van Zandt County Sheriff's Department, the SPCA of Texas removed the birds and eggs later that day. The animals were transported to a secure location, where they are being cared for until the custody hearing, which will be held on Monday, March 5th at 10 a.m. at the Van Zandt County Pct. 4 Courthouse on 1540 FM 279 in Ben Wheeler, TX 75754, Judge Scott Shinn presiding.

"The SPCA of Texas is thankful to the Van Zandt County Sheriff's Department for sending a clear message that this criminal activity will not be tolerated," said Colby Grady, Chief Investigator for the SPCA of Texas. "Cockfighting is an illegal activity that, sadly, occurs all over the state of Texas. The SPCA of Texas urges anyone with information regarding cockfights to report it to the SPCA of Texas."

Cockfighting is a crime in all 50 states, including Texas, where it is a felony, punishable by two years in a state jail and/or a $10,000 fine. It is a felony in 35 states and the District of Columbia and a misdemeanor in 15 states. Since 2002, a federal law has prohibited any interstate or foreign transport of fighting animals.

If the SPCA of Texas is awarded custody of the animals, they would be individually evaluated for potential placement on a case by case basis.

To help the SPCA of Texas fund future efforts like this and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit http://www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at http://www.spca.org.

In Conjunction with the Opening of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge
Bridge-O-Rama Celebration

WHAT:       Join the SPCA of Texas and “March Forth for Animals” on Sunday, March 4, 2012 from Noon to 6 p.m. at the brand new, state of the art, JanRees-JonesAnimalCareCenter located at2400 Lone Star Drive in westDallas.

Held in conjunction with the grand opening of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge celebration, Bridge-O-Rama, March Forth for Animals at the SPCA of Texas welcomes everyone to come see our brand new shelter and veterinaryclinic, meet all of the adoptable pets (dogs, cats and small mammals) who are looking for loving new homes, sign up to become an SPCA of Texas volunteer and learn about all of the exciting events and programs the SPCA of Texas has to offer.

After you take a look at your potential new best friend at the new shelter, sign up for the SPCA of Texas’ 7^th annual Strut Your Mutt 3K Fun Run/Walk presented by VCA Animal Hospitals, coming up on Saturday, April 28^th at Fair Park in Dallas. To learn more about Strut Your Mutt, visit www.strutyourmutt.info.

Best of all, registration for Strut Your Mutt will be only $20 (regularly $35) for everyone who registers at the shelter on Sunday, March 4th from Noon to 2 p.m., making it easy for people to "march forth" to help the animals.

WHEN:      Sunday, March 4, 2012

WHERE:   SPCA of Texas’ Jan Rees-Jones Animal Care Center
                 2400 Lone Star Drive
                 Dallas, TX 75212
                 214-742-7722(SPCA)

WHY:        March Forth for animals on March 4^th and give a homeless pet a family to call his or her own, sign up to volunteer at the SPCA of Texas, and register for Strut Your Mutt 2012. It’s all to help the SPCA of Texas to rescue, heal and find homes for tens of thousands ofNorth Texas animals this year

MORE:      For more information about the SPCA of Texas, visit www.spca.org.

The SPCA of Texas’ Annual Strut Your Mutt Event is one of Dallas’ most popular fun runs for charity. Thousands of pets and their people walk, run, roll and stroll the broad sidewalks of FairPark, enjoying food, music, kids’ activities and exciting booths. For more information on Strut Your Mutt, visit www.strutyourmutt.info.

WHAT:    Craving some creative activities for your little critters this spring break? Bring your two-legged family members to the brand new, Jan Rees-Jones Animal Care Center where they have the opportunity to play with animals in need of love, make arts and crafts and talk about responsible pet ownership.

Campers will learn the basics of animal care from our professional staff, hear about how our rescue team works to stop animal cruelty, have the opportunity to pet and play with our shelter animals and discuss important values such as kindness and love. They’ll find out what they can do to help pets in their own neighborhoods. Best of all, they’ll meet new friends both two-legged and four-legged!

Spring Break Camp takes place during spring break the week of March 12-14 and is offered to kids between 8-11 years of age.

Sessions fill up quickly, so be sure to register online at www.spca.org/springcamp.

WHEN:   March 12-14, 2012 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Campers must bring a sack lunch from home each day and wear sturdy play clothes
                 
Registration is open!

WHERE: SPCA of Texas’ Jan Rees-Jones Animal Care Center
               2400 Lone Star Drive
               Dallas,TX 75212

COST:    $140 per camper

HOW:     Registration is available online at www.spca.org/springcamp.

Appointments Available at All Three SPCA of Texas’ Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinics

WHAT:      The SPCA of Texas is offering a free Rabies and a free Distemper combination vaccine for cats and dogs with each spay or neuter surgery booked in the month of February at its three North Texas-area spay/neuter and wellness clinics, including the Martin Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinic in West Dallas, the Village Fair Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinic in South Dallas and the Perry Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinic in McKinney.

This special offer is made possible through a generous grant from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals (ASPCA).

Make your pet’s spay or neuter appointment today at any of our three low-cost spay/neuter and wellness clinics by calling 214-742-SPCA (7722) or by visiting www.spca.org/spayneuter.

HOW:        Call 214-742-SPCA (7722) or visit www.spca.org for more information

WHEN:      All appointments for spay or neuter surgery booked during the month of February
                 Surgical drop-offs are at 7 a.m. and pick-ups are at 3 p.m.

WHERE:   Martin Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinic in West Dallas
                2400 Lone Star Drive
                Dallas, TX 75224

                Village Fair Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinic in South Dallas
                4830 Village Fair Drive
                Dallas, TX 75224

                Perry Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinic in McKinney
                8411 Stacy Road
                McKinney, TX 75070

WHY:      Spaying, neutering and vaccinating pets saves lives by preventing unwanted litters, keeping thousands of animals off the streets and stopping the spread of dangerous illnesses like Rabies, Parvo and Distemper.

Having pets spayed and neutered is the most important way to prevent pet overpopulation and ensure that animals live happy, healthy lives in loving homes by decreasing roaming tendencies and aggression and preventing certain forms of cancer in pets. Vaccinating pets ensures that their immune systems can protect them from dangerous and life-threatening viruses and bacteria. Texas law also requires Rabies vaccinations for pets. Further, veterinary wellness care is a critical component of preventative care for cats and dogs.

The SPCA of Texas’ spay/neuter clinics treat more than 42,000 animals each year.

The SPCA of Texas is the leading animal welfare agency in North Texas. The non-profit organization operates two shelters and two spay/neuter clinics located in Dallas and McKinney, and maintains a team of five animal cruelty investigators to respond to thousands of calls in eight North Texas counties. Moreover, the SPCA of Texas serves as an active resource center for an array of services that bring people and animals together to enrich each others’ lives. The SPCA of Texas is not affiliated with any other entity and does not receive general operating funds from the City of Dallas, State of Texas, federal government or any other humane organization. The SPCA of Texas is dedicated to providing every animal exceptional care and a loving home.

(DALLAS, TX/McKINNEY, TX); January 26, 2012 — In an effort to find homes for 20% more animals in 2012, the SPCA of Texas has lowered adoption fees by almost 40% on average this year. The SPCA of Texas’ homeless pets are available for adoption at the group’s two shelters, the Jan Rees-Jones Animal Care Center at 2400 Lone Star Drive in Dallas and the Russell H. Perry Animal Care Center at 8411 Stacy Road in McKinney, and six North Texas-area PetSmart stores.

“Removing financial barriers to adoption will help us reach our goal of finding homes for 20% more pets this year and help us further our mission, to provide every animal exceptional care and a loving home,” said James Bias, SPCA of Texas president. “Finding homes for more animals is core to that mission. We also remain committed to providing the same high level of care to the pets in our shelters and at our clinics and the same high level of support for the families who adopt from the SPCA of Texas.”

In 2011, adoption fees were $185-$285 for puppies (under 6 months of age), $95-$195 for adult dogs (6 months to 6 years), $75 for senior dogs (7 years or older), $50 for VIP dogs (dogs waiting for homes for more than 30 days), $125 for kittens (under 6 months of age), $95 for cats (6 months to 6 years), $75 for senior cats (7 years and older) and $50 for VIP cats (cats waiting for homes for more than 30 days).

In 2012, adoption fees have dropped to $95-125 for puppies (under 6 months of age), $75-95 for adult dogs (6 months to 6 years), $95 for kittens (under 6 months of age), $75 for adult cats (6 months to 6 years), $50 for senior dogs and cats (7 years and older) and $50 for VIP dogs and cats (animals waiting for homes for more than 30 days).

All adoptions at the SPCA of Texas include a spay/neuter surgery, age-appropriate vaccinations, a heartworm test for dogs six months and older, initial heartworm preventative for dogs, a feline leukemia test for cats four months and older, a microchip, a rabies tag, a free bag of food, one post-adoption health check-up within 14 days of adoption, 30 days of pet health insurance and a leash or cat carrier.

The average adoption fee at the SPCA of Texas is now $89, down from $141 last year. However, the SPCA of Texas continues to spend an average of $500 on each animal the organization takes in.

“Lowered fees do mean less revenue from adoptions for the SPCA of Texas,” said Bias. “The SPCA of Texas is counting on the partnership of the community to help make these lower adoption fees possible.”

The SPCA of Texas announces its first monthly corporate partner in making these lower fees possible, Claim Adjustment Specialists, a full service claims adjusting firm specializing in claims that arise from lender placed property insurance or mortgagee claims on vacant and foreclosed properties. For more about Claim Adjustment Specialists, visit www.casclaims.com. Their generous gift helps subsidize the new, lower adoption fees in 2012.

To help support the SPCA of Texas and its efforts to help homeless, abused and neglected animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/donate.  Companies interested in becoming a corporate sponsor of the SPCA of Texas, please contact Gina Parker, VP for Community and Corporate Affairs, at gparker@spca.org or 214-461-1810.

“Pets offer unconditional love and never judge us. In these difficult times, sometimes a pet is the only reason people keep on going,” said Bias. “Our hope is that these lowered adoption fees will help more people bring home the joy and companionship a pet provides, in turn providing loving homes for more pets.”

Appointments Available at All Three SPCA of Texas Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinics

WHAT: The SPCA of Texas offers a microchip special through January 31st at its Martin Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinic in West Dallas, its Village Fair Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinic in South Dallas its Perry Spay/Neuter Clinic in McKinney.

A microchip is a device, about the size of a grain of rice, that is placed under the skin between your pet shoulder blades. When scanned, an unalterable code is retrieved that matches up with a database that includes your contact information, so your pet can come directly back to you should they become lost.

You can also help prevent pet overpopulation and ensure your pet lives a long and healthy life by having your pet spayed or neutered and by taking them to a veterinarian for an annual check-up. Make your pet’s spay, neuter and/or wellness appointment today at any of our three low-cost Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinics by calling 214-742-SPCA (7722).

HOW: Call 214-742-SPCA (7722) or visit www.spca.org for more information

WHEN:   Through January 31st

WHERE: Martin Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinic
2400 Lone Star Drive
Dallas, TX 75224

Village Fair Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinic
4830 Village Fair Drive
Dallas, TX 75224

Perry Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinic
8411 Stacy Road
McKinney, TX 75070

WHY:  In the United States, one in every three pets becomes lost. Our pets are our family members, so losing them is not something anyone wants to face. Give your pets the best chance to come home in case the unthinkable happens and have them microchipped today. The SPCA of Texas is proud to offer this special as a part of their mission to provide every animal exceptional care and a loving home.

Spaying and neutering pets helps put a dent in the pet overpopulation problem, and also prevents certain forms of cancer in pets while decreasing their roaming, marking and aggression tendencies. Vaccinating dogs and cats ensures that their immune systems can protect them from dangerous and life-threatening viruses and bacteria. Texas law also requires rabies vaccinations. Further, veterinary wellness care is a critical component of preventative care for cats and dogs.

$10.5 Million Renovation Will Enable SPCA of Texas to Significantly Increase Services and Save More Lives

(DALLAS, TX); January 2, 2012 – The SPCA of Texas’ new, 70,000-square-foot Jan Rees-Jones Animal Care Center located at 2400 Lone Star Drive near Hampton Road and I-30 in West Dallas will open its doors to the public at Noon on January 2, 2012.

The new facility’s Myron K. Martin Spay/Neuter & Wellness Clinic will be twice the size of its Village Fair Spay/Neuter & Wellness Clinic in Oak Cliff, and will be open to the public for low-cost pet check-ups, treatments and spay/neuter surgeries, in addition to supporting the medical needs of the animals in the SPCA of Texas’ care. 

The animal care center includes a spacious shelter for homeless animals, a fully equipped medical wing and surgery suite to care for injured animals and provide spay/neuter and wellness services to shelter animals and for the public, welcoming playrooms and outdoor green spaces where families can connect with adoptable pets, and classrooms for humane education programs and volunteer training in the Rees-Jones Foundation Education Wing. The building already houses the SPCA of Texas’ public call center, Rescue and Investigations team, education programs and administrative offices.

The new facility will replace the SPCA of Texas’ 40-year-old Dealey Animal Care Center at 362 South Riverfront Boulevard (formerly Industrial Boulevard) near downtown Dallas. 

The SPCA of Texas purchased the building in 2006 as part of its long-range facilities planning and required relocation from Industrial Boulevard by the Texas Department of Transportation to make way for the planned development along the Trinity River. The SPCA of Texas’ new facilities is located in an area designated by the City of Dallas as the new Dallas Animal District. 

Says James Bias, President of the SPCA of Texas, “Our new building will provide significant capacity to rescue and shelter more abused and neglected animals. We will be able to serve many more animals daily than our previous space. We will also be able to accept more pets that owners must surrender due to the economic downturn. Best of all, we will be able to match more animals with North Texas families who seek to adopt pets."

Hinojosa Architecture & Interiors was selected to design the interior and exterior spaces and Hill & Wilkinson was selected as the general contractor.

“The renovations include unique viewing experiences and outdoor spaces that will make it an enjoyable experience for both the prospective adopters and the animals available for adoption,” said architect Gus Hinojosa, AIA. “We want this facility to become a destination for people and their future pets.”

Says Hill & Wilkinson’s Vice President of Retail Rob Dixon, “We believe this new SPCA of Texas facility will serve as a model for pet adoption facilities throughout the U.S. The uniqueness of the design, both inside and outside the facility, may influence how others approach both their adoption services and their educational component.”                   

###

One Deceased Dog Also Found

(COMANCHE COUNTY, TX; DALLAS, TX); December 31, 2011 --Before a custody hearing on Friday, December 30th at the Comanche County Courthouse in Comanche, TX, an agreement was reached between the SPCA of Texas and the animal owner for the animal owner to relinquish ownership of 14 dogs to the SPCA of Texas. Judge Williams signed the agreement.

Under the authority of the De Leon Police Department, the SPCA of Texas seized 14 Chihuahuas on Thursday, December 29th from a puppy mill in Comanche County near downtown De Leon, TX. The animals were cruelly confined, forced to live in their own filth. One deceased dog was found on the property.

To view photos of the dogs, taken at the property, visit www.spca.org/deleon122911.

The dogs were living inside the residence on the property, which was filled with feces, cobwebs, roaches, trash and other filthy debris. The floor was soaked in urine to the point of decaying. In some places inside the residence, layers of feces and garbage were piled up to four or five inches high. The deceased dog, found under the owners bed, appeared to have died approximately four weeks ago. All of the other dogs had access to the same area where the deceased dog was found. Two female dogs, both believed to be pregnant, were housed inside one small, feces-filled bird cage. One dog is emaciated and others are extremely thin.

The animal owner stated that she had been breeding the dogs and selling them at flea markets and to individuals.

Puppy mill owners breed dogs for the purpose of selling the puppies for a profit, and the living conditions of the dogs comes a distant second. If you suspect you've found a puppy mill, the SPCA of Texas encourages you to report inhumane conditions and animal neglect to your local law enforcement agency and to the SPCA of Texas at www.spca.org/knowpuppymills.

The SPCA of Texas received a complaint of a suspected puppy mill on December 22nd. The SPCA of Texas then began working with De Leon Police Department and, together with the De Leon officials, visited the property on December 28th. After observing the dogs' conditions, the SPCA of Texas' Investigator and the De Leon Police Chief agreed that the dogs needed to be removed. The De Leon Police Department obtained a seizure warrant and the SPCA of Texas removed the animals and transported them to the SPCA of Texas' Dealey Animal Care Center at 362 S. Riverfront Blvd. in Dallas, TX, where they were cared for until the custody hearing. 

The dogs will now be individually evaluated for placement or adoption on a case by case basis.

To help support the SPCA of Texas and its efforts to help abused, neglected and homeless animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at www.spca.org.

(DALLAS COUNTY, TX; McKINNEY, TX); December 22, 2011 -- Before a custody hearing today at the Dallas County Justice of the Peace Pct. 1 Courthouse in Lancaster, TX, an agreement was reached between the SPCA of Texas and the animal owner for the animal owner to relinquish ownership of seven horses to the SPCA of Texas. Judge Valencia Nash signed the agreement.

Under the authority of the Dallas County Sheriff's Department, the SPCA of Texas seized seven starving animals--six ponies and one horse--on Thursday, December 22nd from a Dallas County property in the 2000 block of Wagon Wheels Trail in Dallas. The animals were not receiving appropriate food, water or care. Four other horses were found deceased on the property.

To see photos of the horses, taken at the property, please visit www.spca.org/dallashorses122211.

The six ponies were found living with two of the deceased horses--a mare and a foal--in a large makeshift pen constructed of barbed wire strung between trees and old fencing material. These horses had gnawed off all of the bark as high as they could reach and are very thin to emaciated. The seventh live horse was found in a separate, eight foot by eight foot pen which also contained a chicken coop and other debris. This horse is also very thin. Two other deceased horses were found inside two other, separate pens made of chain link fencing. Bark had also been gnawed off of the trees inside the pens where these deceased horses were found.

The SPCA of Texas received an anonymous complaint regarding abandoned horses, however; early this morning the animal owner arrived on the property. An SPCA of Texas investigator visited the property on Wednesday, December 21st and was able to see two of the deceased horses and other ponies that were very thin. The SPCA of Texas' Investigator and the Deputy for the Dallas County Sheriff's Department met the morning of Thursday, December 22nd and agreed that the animals were in need of immediate care. The Dallas County Sheriff's Department obtained a seizure warrant and the SPCA of Texas removed the animals and transported them to the SPCA of Texas' Perry Animal Care Center at 8411 Stacy Rd. in McKinney, TX, where they were cared for until the custody hearing.

The horses will now be indivudually evaluated for potential adoption or placement on a case by case basis. 

To help support the SPCA of Texas and its efforts to help abused, neglected and homeless animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at www.spca.org.

(KAUFMAN COUNTY, TX; McKINNEY, TX); December 20, 2011 -- Before a custody hearing today at the Kaufman County Justice of the Peace Pct. 4 Courthouse in Kemp, TX, an agreement was reached between the District Attorney, the SPCA of Texas and the animal owner for the animal owner to relinquish ownership of more than 50 animals to the SPCA of Texas. Judge Johnny Adams signed the agreement. 

Under the authority of the Mabank Police Department, the SPCA of Texas seized 47 dogs, approximately four fish, one fat-tailed gecko, one California king snake and one gerbil on Thursday, December 15th from a puppy mill in Kaufman County near downtown Mabank, TX. The animals were cruelly confined and many were not receiving appropriate food, water or shelter. Two deceased dogs were found on the property.

To view photos of the dogs, taken at the property, visit www.spca.org/mabank121511.

Most of the dogs were living in their own waste inside pens outside the residence on the property. Both deceased dogs were found inside pens, one alone in a makeshift shelter and one in a pen that also contained a living dog. Some dogs were housed inside a shed in crates and small wire cages, one to four dogs inside each cage or crate. No food was observed on the property and the only water the dogs had to drink was rainwater that had collected in various containers strewn around the property. Some of the dogs are thin and some had eye discharge. A fat-tailed gecko, a California king snake, a gerbil and fish in four separate containers were found inside the residence. 

Many of the dogs on the property were kept in pairs, one male and one female of the same breed, inside the pens. The animal owner stated that she had been selling the dogs but would not disclose where she was selling them.

Puppy mill owners breed dogs for the purpose of selling the puppies for a profit, and the living conditions of the dogs come a distant second. If you suspect you've found a puppy mill, the SPCA of Texas encourages you to report inhumane conditions and animal neglect to your local law enforcement agency and to the SPCA of Texas at www.spca.org/knowpuppymills.

Earlier in the day on Thursday, December 15th, Mabank authorities had visited the property on an unrelated code compliance issue and observed the deceased dogs. The Mabank Police Department called the SPCA of Texas regarding the two deceased dogs. After observing all the animals' conditions, the SPCA of Texas' Chief Investigator Colby Grady and the Mabank Chief of Police Kyle McAfee agreed that the dogs needed to be removed immediately. The Mabank Police Department obtained a seizure warrant and the SPCA of Texas removed the animals and transported them to the SPCA of Texas' Perry Animal Care Center at 8411 Stacy Rd. in McKinney, TX, where they were cared for until the custody hearing. 

The SPCA of Texas will now begin individually evaluating the dogs for potential adoption or placement on a case by case basis.

To help support the SPCA of Texas and its efforts to help abused, neglected and homeless animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at www.spca.org

(HUNT COUNTY, TX; McKINNEY, TX); December 19, 2011 -- At a custody hearing in Greenville, TX on Friday, December 16th, 2011, the SPCA of Texas received custody of nine dogs found abandoned on a Hunt County property.

Under the authority of the Hunt County Sheriff's Department, the SPCA of Texas seized the nine abandoned dogs on Wednesday, December 7th from a property near Royce City, TX. The dogs were receiving adequate food, water and shelter.

"The owners reportedly moved away and abandoned their dogs," said Colby Grady, Chief Investigator for the SPCA of Texas. "Thanks to quick work by Hunt County Officials, we are able to move the dogs to the safety of our shelter."

The SPCA of Texas received a complaint on Wednesday, November 30th regarding abandoned dogs on a property near Royce City, TX and immediately began the process of confirming that the dogs had indeed been abandoned.

Late Tuesday, December 6th, the Investigator for the SPCA of Texas and a Deputy for the Hunt County Sheriff's Department agreed that the animals had been abandoned and needed to be removed from the property. The Hunt County Sheriff's Department obtained a seizure warrant and the SPCA of Texas removed the animals and transported them to the SPCA of Texas' Perry Animal Care Center at 8411 Stacy Rd. in McKinney, TX, where they were cared for until the custody hearing.

If the animal owner does not file an appeal in the next ten days, the SPCA of Texas will at that time individually evaluate the animals for adoption or placement on a case by case basis.

To help support the SPCA of Texas and its efforts to help abused, neglected and homeless animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at www.spca.org. 

Friday, November 11, 2011, the Center for Nonprofit Management presented the excellence in nonprofit leadership award to James Bias, SPCA of Texas President, at its 11th annual A Night of Light event at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas.

As the winner of the excellence in nonprofit leadership award as selected by an independent panel of judges, Bias received a $5,000 gift for the SPCA of Texas, an etched crystal award from Tiffany & Co and a gift certificate for an organizational assessment provided by the Center for Nonprofit Management.

Finalists for the excellence in nonprofit leadership also included Joel Allison, Baylor Health Care System and Zenetta Drew, Dallas Black Dance Theatre.

The A Night of Light event was created in 2001 to recognize and celebrate nonprofit excellence in North Texas. Now in its eleventh year, the event has awarded 57 agencies and individuals with $5,000 cash awards, a giving total of $285,000. The dinner benefits the Center for Nonprofit Management. The center serves more than 2,500 nonprofits a year, working to build stronger communities by increasing the performance and impact of nonprofit organizations.

The excellence in nonprofit leadership award acknowledges the outstanding contributions Bias’s leadership of the SPCA of Texas provides in the North Texas community. Through his 30-year career, James Bias has become the go-to person for animal welfare issues locally and statewide. Bias is a leader among peers for our community’s response against animal cruelty and overpopulation. Under his leadership, the SPCA of Texas took over the beleaguered Village Fair clinic in South Oak Cliff, and established a public/private partnership with the City of Dallas to provide free and low-cost spay/neuter surgeries to pets in low-income neighborhoods. This year, he is spearheading “The Big Fix in Big D,” an innovative 3-year collaboration with Metroplex Animal Coalition, the Dallas Foundation and KCAAP to reduce euthanasia in the City’s animal shelter (currently over 70%) by providing $20 spay/neuter surgeries for all Dallas pets.

The SPCA of Texas has also gained national recognition for capability and innovation under Bias’ watch. For example, in December 2009, Bias coordinated the largest animal cruelty rescue operation in United States history, the rescue of 26,411 abused animals from an Arlington animal importer. As another example, in 2010, Bias was sought out by a major foundation to provide ideas for eliminating puppy mills in North Texas. This first communication turned into a two-year partnership to test the impact of intensive law enforcement and public education efforts to stamp out this shameful “business.” Launched this summer, the groundbreaking “Know the Truth Behind the Cute” campaign will save many lives.

Currently, Bias is finishing a $15 million Capital Campaign, the largest in the SPCA of Texas 73-year history, that purchased a new headquarters building and is retrofitting it to incorporate a state-of-the-art animal shelter, adoption center and veterinary clinic. Opening January 2012, the Jan Rees-Jones Animal Care Center will save hundreds of thousands of lives.

James Bias began as President of the SPCA of Texas on May 3, 2004. Bias has been involved in animal care and control for more than 30 years. A native of Arizona, Bias has lived in Texas for 35 years.

(KAUFMAN COUNTY, TX; McKINNEY, TX); November 3, 2011 -- Under the authority of the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department, the SPCA of Texas seized 40 dogs on Thursday, November 3rd from a Kaufman County property near Kemp, TX. The animals were cruelly confined and many were not receiving appropriate food, water or care.

To view photos of the dogs, taken at the SPCA of Texas' Dealey Animal Care Center in Dallas, visit www.spca.org/kaufman110311.

One dog, a Great Dane, is emaciated. All of the dogs were infested with fleas, some are thin and some have eye discharge. On the property, some dogs were living outside in small, feces-filled cages and pens while others were tethered to trees. What little water supplied to the dogs was dirty and algae-filled. Other dogs were kept inside the trailer home on the property. The floors inside of this residence were covered in feces that was decaying. There was a strong odor of feces and urine inside the residence.

A cemetery was discovered on the property where approximately 20 dogs had been buried.

"This location has been confirmed to be a former puppy mill," said Colby Grady, Chief Investigator for the SPCA of Texas. "The owner stated he and his wife bred dogs for many years until she recently passed away. Things got out of control, and it became a hoarding situation. This is a prime example of the fine line between a puppy mill and animal hoarding."

On Wednesday, November 2nd, the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department contacted the SPCA of Texas regarding cruelly confined dogs on a property near Kemp, TX. The SPCA of Texas Investigator met the Sheriff's Deputy on the property and observed the cruel confinement and that many of the dogs were not receiving appropriate food, water or care. One deceased dog was found still attached to a tree by a collar and tether. 

The Investigator for the SPCA of Texas and a Deputy for the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department agreed that the animals were in need of immediate care. The Kaufman County Sheriff's Department obtained a seizure warrant and the SPCA of Texas removed the animals and transported them to the SPCA of Texas' Dealey Animal Care Center at 362 S. Riverfront Blvd.in Dallas, TX, where they will be cared for until the custody hearing.

The custody hearing will be held on Wednesday, November 9th at 10 a.m. at the Kaufman County Justice of the Peace Pct. 4 Courthouse at 103 N. Main in Kemp, TX, Judge Johnny Adams presiding. 

To help support the SPCA of Texas and its efforts to help abused, neglected and homeless animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at www.spca.org.

(KAUFMAN COUNTY, TX; McKINNEY, TX); November 1, 2011 -- Under the authority of the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department, the SPCA of Texas seized seven animals--four horses, one Shetland Pony, one donkey and one cat--on Tuesday, November 1st from a Kaufman County property near Crandall, TX. The animals were not receiving appropriate food, water or care.

To view photos of the horses and donkey, taken at the SPCA of Texas' Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney, visit www.spca.org/kaufman103111.

One horse was emaciated, another was thin with a large wound, the yearling and the donkey were very thin and one horse and the Shetland Pony appeared to be in good weight. The cat appeared to be in good condition. 

On Monday, October 31, the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department contacted the SPCA of Texas regarding abandoned horses on a property near Crandall, TX. The SPCA of Texas' Investigator met the Sheriff's Deputy on the property and observed that the horses had no food and an insufficient water source. The owner claimed she purchased the horses at auction to save their lives. She stated that she could not afford to have the animals treated by a veterinarian and was feeding the livestock animals an inappropriate diet of deer corn and cow feed. She also refused any assistance from the SPCA of Texas. 

"People need to educate themselves before buying horses, especially in these difficult economic times," said Colby Grady, Chief Investigator for the SPCA of Texas. "People feel they need to buy a horse to save it from auction but don't realize the resources it takes to maintain a healthy horse."

The Investigator for the SPCA of Texas and a Deputy for the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department agreed that the animals were in need of immediate care. The Kaufman County Sheriff's Department obtained a seizure warrant and the SPCA of Texas removed the animals and transported them to the SPCA of Texas' Perry Animal Care Center at 8411 Stacy Rd. in McKinney, TX, where they will be cared for until the custody hearing.

The custody hearing will be held on Wednesday, November 9th at 10 a.m. at the Kaufman County Justice of the Peace Pct. 4 Courthouse at 103 N. Main in Kemp, TX, Judge Johnny Adams presiding. 

To help support the SPCA of Texas and its efforts to help abused, neglected and homeless animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at www.spca.org.

1. Please email all pertinent ownership documents (i.e.: registration papers, microchip documents, etc.) to Colby Grady, Chief Investigator, at cgrady@spca.org by 5pm on THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2011.
2. We will send an email in response within 24 hours to confirm the receipt of the documents.
3. We will review the documents and contact you if clarification is needed.
4. Once sufficient documentation is submitted and reviewed, we will contact you to schedule an appointment to verify ownership.
5. If ownership is verified by a microchip, we will schedule a spay or neuter surgery for your animal.
6. Or, once an appointment is scheduled, we will meet you to verify ownership and schedule a surgery.
7. No animal will be returned un-altered, meaning all animals will be spayed or neutered.
8. Please send any questions via email to cgrady@spca.org.

Please note regarding the above: The SPCA of Texas will respond to all who are claiming ownership of these animals only. After all verified owners who contacted us by 5 p.m. on Thursday, October 27th with ownership documents have received their animals will we begin individually evaluating the animals for placement with our approved partners or adoption. Please stay tuned to www.spca.org/findapet to view animals as they become available for adoption.

(DUNCANVILLE, TX; McKINNEY, TX); October 26, 2011 -- Prior to a custody hearing today at Duncanville City Hall, an agreement was reached between all parties involved regarding 108 animals seized from a Duncanville property on Friday, October 21, 2011. The animal owner, her attorneys, the City of Duncanville and the SPCA of Texas reached an agreement for the animal owner to relinquish ownership of the animals to the SPCA of Texas, and that restitution would be waived. Judge Kent Traylor signed the agreement.

Interested parties wanting to provide ownership information regarding these animals should contact the SPCA of Texas by 5 p.m. on Thursday, October 27, 2011. For more information please visit www.spca.org/duncanvilleownershipinfo.

To view photographs taken at the scene, please visit www.spca.org/duncanville10212011.

Under the authority of the Duncanville Police Department, the SPCA of Texas seized 108 cruelly confined dogs and cats on Friday, October 21, 2011 from a Duncanville, TX property. The animals--102 dogs and six cats--were being kept in and around three feces-filled, urine-soaked houses on the property, and were not receiving proper food, water or care. The smell of urine and feces was overwhelming throughout the property.

The cats and several of the dogs were living in filthy conditions in the house situated closest to the street. The cats were kept in a small, filthy room attached to the garage of the first house, where they had no choice but to live in their own feces and urine. Eight to ten dogs were living, some in rusted crates and some loose, in a room accessible from a bedroom in this first house. The floor in this room was decaying, and it was coated in feces, urine and filthy bedsheets and blankets. The door to this room had been sealed off with industrial tape and hidden by a curtain.

The second house contained approximately 20 dogs who were living in deplorable conditions. These dogs were housed inside filthy, rusted and hair-encrusted wire cages that were caked in feces and urine; their food mixed in with feces, hay and bedsheets. In many cases, the feces mixture was stacked so high that SPCA of Texas staff members had to force the doors of the crates open by bending them enough to gently remove the dogs in order to prepare them for transport. The walls inside this house were covered with filth and cobwebs, and the floor was almost invisible under a layer of excrement anywhere from a few inches to a foot deep. 

 Approximately 70 dogs were living in and around the third house on the property. Many of these dogs were also kept inside rusted wire cages and pet carriers scattered throughout the house, but mainly in the kitchen, pantry, laundry room and main hallway areas. Special shelving had been constructed in a room off of the kitchen of this house that appeared to be specifically designed to house dogs stacked in cages. Several of these dogs were observed gnawing on the bars. The areas of this house that contained dogs were covered in urine and feces. Dogs were also kept in large, filthy pens outside the house. 

The SPCA of Texas has received information that the animal owner in this case, was a part of a rescue group and was separated from that group to start her own purported rescue group called Elliot's Friends Rescue. The animal owner was allegedly transferring animals from at least one municipal shelter. It is important to note that although animal shelters need a license in order to operate in Texas, rescue groups do not. Some licensed shelters are put under such pressure to not euthanize animals for any reason that they end up transferring animals to anyone willing to accept them. Some rescue groups that end up taking more animals than they can reasonably handle then often end up warehousing these animals.

The rescue groups that the SPCA of Texas works with are all committed to finding homes for animals and giving those animals the best of care until they are adopted into loving homes, not merely hoarding them like what was witnessed last week. Licensed shelters and reputable rescue groups are fully transparent in their communications, policies and procedures; allow you to see where their animals are housed; and have standards of care that include cleaning regimens, proper documentation of all treatments that animals have received and a focus on finding homes for the animals in their care. By adopting from these groups, the public can help eliminate the so-called rescue groups that wind up cruelly treating animals.

As always, the SPCA of Texas urges the public to contact law enforcement or contact the SPCA of Texas to report suspected animal cruelty or abuse. People can make a report to the SPCA of Texas by visiting www.spca.org/abuse.

The SPCA of Texas received a call from the Duncanville Police Department on Wednesday, October 19, and an SPCA of Texas Investigator visited the location that day. Upon discovering the cruel confinement, inadequate food and water and filthy living conditions, the Duncanville Police Department and the SPCA of Texas Investigator agreed that the animals were in need of immediate care. The Duncanville Police Department obtained a seizure warrant and the SPCA of Texas transported the dogs and cats to the SPCA of Texas' Perry Animal Care Center at 8411 Stacy Rd. in McKinney,TX.

These animals will be individually evaluated for potential placement or adoption on a case by case basis.

To help support the SPCA of Texas and its efforts to help abused, neglected and homeless animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at www.spca.org.

WHAT: The SPCA of Texas invites ghosts and ghouls of all ages and their four-legged best friends to prowl on over to preview the SPCA of Texas’ Jan Rees-Jones Animal Care Center at 2400 Lone Star Drive in Dallas on Saturday, October 22 from 10 a.m. to  4 p.m. for a howling good time. Admission is free.

Bring the whole family out to enjoy spooky fun such as pooch- and people-friendly games, fabulous food from a fleet of food trucks, adoptable dogs, a trick-or-treat scavenger hunt through our soon to be completed new Jan Rees-Jones Animal Care Center and Fall family festival favorites--manned by the Junior League of Dallas--such as bounce houses, games, prize drawings, photo memories, face painting and more.

The SPCA of Texas’ Howl-O-Ween event is a special preview of the new Jan Rees-Jones Animal Care Center, slated to open in January of 2012. In January 2010, the SPCA of Texas launched the final phase of our $15 million campaign to construct a new full-service animal care facility and shelter to replace our small, 40-year-old shelter near downtown Dallas. The new center will include a spacious shelter for abused, neglected and homeless animals, a state-of-the-art veterinary wing, outdoor play areas and training/educational classrooms.

At the SPCA of Texas’ Howl-O-Ween Spooktacular, you are sure to scare up a haunted good time, and maybe even meet your new best friend!

WHEN:  Saturday, October 22, 2011
             10 a.m. to 4 p.m.     

WHERE: Jan Rees-Jones Animal Care Center in Dallas
              2400 Lone Star Drive (I-30 at Hampton)
              Dallas, Texas 75212

COST:    Free admission
              Bring cash for purchasing food from the gourmet food trucks

(RAINS COUNTY, TX; McKINNEY, TX); October 14, 2011--Before a hearing today at the Rains County Justice of the Peace, Pct. 1 Courthouse in Emory, TX, an agreement was reached between the SPCA of Texas and the animal owner, for the animal owner to relinquish ownership of 27 dogs to the SPCA of Texas.

Under the authority of the Rains County Sheriff's Department, the SPCA of Texas seized 27 dogs from a property in Emory, TX on October 6th, 2011.

To download photos of the animals from the property the morning of the seizure, visit www.spca.org/rainscounty100611.

The SPCA of Texas received an anonymous complaint about the animals' conditions. An SPCA of Texas Investigator visited the property and saw approximately 30 dogs living in poor conditions. The SPCA of Texas Investigator and the Rains County Sheriff's Department agreed that it was in the animals' best interest to obtain a seizure warrant and remove the animals from the property.

Many of the dogs suffer from hairloss, and the owner claimed to be treating the animals with motor oil and cooking oil. Other dogs had open sores, eye discharge, extremely long nails and many are extremely thin.

Some of the animals did not have access to food, water or shelter. Although many empty bags of dog food were on the property the morning of the seizure, none of the dogs had food in their bowls, and what little water some of the dogs had was filthy. Many of the dogs were chained to trees, old vehicles and other large items outside of the trailer; some dogs were housed in makeshift pens; and others were running loose on the property. The dogs were living in their own feces and urine. The odor of the excrement that covered the property was extremely strong and could be smelled from the street.

The animal owner was arrested on October 6th on unrelated charges.

SPCA of Texas vehicles transported the animals to the Perry Animal Care Center at 8411 Stacy Road/FM 720 in McKinney, TX 75070, where they were examined by medical staff and cared for until the custody hearing.

"Thanks to the dedicated work of the Rains County Sheriff's Department, we were able to remove these dogs and start providing them with the care, food, water and shelter they sorely needed," said SPCA of Texas Investigator, Dean Bileway.

The SPCA of Texas will now begin individually evaluating the dogs for potential adoption or placement on a case by case basis.

To help support the SPCA of Texas and its efforts to help abused, neglected and homeless animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at www.spca.org.

(HUNT COUNTY, TX; McKINNEY, TX) October 12, 2011 -- Before a hearing today at the Hunt County Justice of the Peace, Pct. 1 Courthouse in Greenville, TX, an agreement was reached between the SPCA of Texas and the animal owner, signed by Judge Sandy Berger, for the animal owner to relinquish ownership of four livestock animals to the SPCA of Texas.

Under the authority of the Hunt County Constable, the SPCA of Texas seized the animals, three starving horses and one donkey, the morning of October 5th from a Hunt County property. The owner may face possible criminal animal cruelty charges.

Two of the horses, a gelding and a stud, are very underweight, and one of the horses, a mare, is thin and appears to be pregnant. The donkey, a jenny, appears to be in fair condition.

To download photos of the animals in custody, visit www.spca.org/huntcounty100511.

Just over one month ago, the SPCA of Texas received a complaint of suspected animal cruelty regarding the livestock animals on a property in Royse City, TX. After visiting the property and seeing that the horses had no food, water, shelter or care, the Investigator for the SPCA of Texas and a Deputy for the Hunt County Sheriff's Department contacted the animal owner and attempted to work with that person to bring the animals' conditions into compliance with Texas Health and Safety Code. The animal owner claimed that other people were asked to care for the horses and blamed those other people for the lack of care. The animals' conditions continued to decline, so the Investigator reiterated that the owner is responsible for providing the animals consistent food, water, shelter and care and outlined how the animal owner needed to comply with Texas Health and Safety Code. On the last visit, the animal owner did not comply.  

The Hunt County Constable and the SPCA of Texas agreed that the animals were in danger and in need of immediate care. The Hunt County Constable obtained a seizure warrant the morning of October 5th and the animals were removed by the SPCA of Texas and taken to the SPCA of Texas' Perry Animal Care Center at 8411 Stacy Rd. in McKinney,TX, where they have been cared for until today's custody hearing.

"It seems that the owner had plenty of feed and resources to adequately care for these animals; however, they still were not receiving the proper nutrition they need to maintain a healthy lifestyle," said SPCA of Texas Investigator, Dean Bileway. "It is imperative that livestock animals have a consistant diet, plenty of water, shelter and regular veterinary check-ups to ensure they are in good, stable condition."

The SPCA of Texas will now begin individually evaluating the animals for adoption or placement on a case by case basis.

To help support the SPCA of Texas and its efforts to help abused, neglected and homeless animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at www.spca.org.

(KAUFMAN COUNTY, TX; McKINNEY, TX); September 30, 2011 -- At two separate custody hearings today in Kaufman County, judges awarded custody of eight starving livestock animals seized from two separate Kaufman County properties last week to the SPCA of Texas. 

At a hearing at the Kaufman County Justice of the Peace, Pct. 1 Courthouse, Judge Johnny Perry awarded the SPCA of Texas custody of one horse. Judge Perry also awarded the SPCA of Texas restitution in the amount of $1,063. At a hearing at the Kaufman County Justice of the Peace, Pct. 4 Courthouse, Judge Johnny Adams awarded custody of five horses and two donkeys to the SPCA of Texas. Judge Adams also awarded the SPCA of Texas restitution in the amount of $4,573.20. The SPCA of Texas does not expect to receive any of this money to help offset costs.

Under the authority of the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department, the SPCA of Texas seized eight starving livestock animals from two separate Kaufman County properties the evening of Wednesday, September 21 and the morning of Thursday, September 22.

The night of Wednesday, September 21, the SPCA of Texas seized one starving, emaciated horse from Terrell, TX. The horse was first found estray near a restaurant in Terrell, TX earlier that day. Kaufman County Sheriff's department and the Terrell Police Department responded to the scene and the Terrell Police Department contacted the horse's owner. The Terrell Police Department stated to the owner that the horse needed to see a veterinarian immediately, and though the owner said that he would come pick up the horse, the owner never came. The Terrell Police Department again tried contacting the owner, who did not respond at that point. The Terrell Police Department then requested that the SPCA of Texas remove the horse. The owner may possibly face criminal charges.

Then, the morning of Thursday, September 22, the SPCA of Texas seized five horses and two donkeys from a Kemp, TX property. The horses and donkeys were living on the property, having been abandoned by their owners, without appropriate food, water or care. One of the five horses is extremely emaciated, the other four horses are slightly underweight and the donkeys are in fair condition. No vegetation or hay was available on the approximately 20- to 30-acre property, and the only potential water source was a stock pond so empty, all that was left was the mud and a small amount of muddy water at the bottom. The horses and donkeys appeared to be eating the twigs and bark off of the trees, as that was their only food source. Responding to a report of suspected animal cruelty from a concerned individual, on Tuesday, September 20, an SPCA of Texas Investigator and a Kaufman County Deputy visited the property and observed these conditions. Neighbors reported that the property owners had moved out some time ago and had not been seen caring for the horses since their departure. The SPCA of Texas Investigator left a tag on the front gate, asking the animal owners to contact the SPCA of Texas. On September 21, the Investigator followed up by visiting the property again, saw the tag still on the gate and observed the same conditions from the day before. The investigator left a second tag. The Kaufman County Sheriff's Deputy and SPCA of Texas Investigator again visited the property on Thursday, September 22 and agreed that the animals had been abandoned and should be seized immediately.

The animals were all transported to the SPCA of Texas' Perry Animal Care Center at 8411 Stacy Rd. in McKinney, TX, where they were cared for until the custody hearings. The hearing for the one emaciated horse seized from Terrell, TX was held on Friday, September 30th at 1:30 p.m. at the Kaufman County Justice of the Peace Pct. 1 Courthouse at 3001 S. Washington in Kaufman, TX, Judge Johnny Perry presiding. The hearing for the abandoned horses and donkeys seized from a Kemp, TX property was held on Friday, September 30 at 11 a.m. at the Kaufman County Justice of the Peace Pct. 4 Courthouse at 103 N. Main in Kemp, TX, Judge Johnny Adams presiding.

"There is no excuse for abandoning your livestock animals," said Art Muñoz, Senior Investigator for the SPCA of Texas. "Ask friends and neighbors for help, ask your veterinarian, ask your local law enforcement or call the SPCA of Texas for possible resources if you are no longer able to care for your animals."

To help support the SPCA of Texas and its efforts to help abused, neglected and homeless animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at www.spca.org.

Casino-Themed Gala and Spencer Humanitarian Awards to be Presented September 24th at the Hilton Anatole Hotel

(DALLAS, TX); August 31, 2011—You can bet on a good time at the SPCA of Texas’ Fabulous Fur Ball to be held in the Hilton Anatole’s Grand Ballroom on Saturday, September 24th. Last year's glitzy casino theme hit the jackpot, so we decided to “let it ride” and continue the party with poker tables, feathery show girls and, of course, everyone’s favorite guest, the King of Rock and Roll! Get ready to dance to Dallas’ favorite party band, Live 80, and bring your best bids to our famous live auction to win sports tickets, luxurious hotel packages, vacations, gourmet restaurant packages, and more. Plus, we're doubling down for pet lovers with our silent auction, featuring one-of-a-kind prizes that you won't find anywhere else.

To purchase your tickets online today at www.spca.org/furball.

The SPCA of Texas’ Fabulous Fur Ball would not be possible without our dedicated and passionate co-chairs, Jessica Colombo and Tricia Linderman, whose devotion to animals is undeniable.

The 2011 Spencer Humanitarian Awards will be presented at the Fabulous Fur Ball as well. Named for warm-hearted entrepreneur and SPCA of Texas Board member Mary Spencer, the Spencer Humanitarian Awards recognize an individual, company or group whose extraordinary efforts have made a positive difference for animals. The 2011 recipients of the Spencer Humanitarian Awards are tireless volunteers, Madeline Jobst and Melissa Melville; our partners in healing, VCA Animal Hospitals; and the creative team behind the SPCA of Texas’ groundbreaking anti-puppy mill campaign, The Marketing Arm and Coffee Productions.

We sincerely thank our special partners including: Bellagio Sponsor, Hill's Science Diet; MGM Sponsor, The Arrangement Distinctive Interiors; Mirage Sponsors, Chris & Candy Productions and VCA Animal Hospital Companies; Caesar’s Palace Sponsors, Authentix, Merial U.S. and Sewell Subaru of Dallas; and New York, New York Sponsors, Alphagraphics at Market Center and Super Value Pharmacy.

Best of all, the more fun you have, the more SPCA of Texas animals will benefit from your generosity. Your participation at Fabulous Fur Ball will help the SPCA of Texas, the leading animal welfare agency in North Texas, continue to rescue, heal and find homes for thousands of animals in the coming year.

Don your swankiest, silkiest, snazziest, sequined Vegas best and join us as we double up the fun at Fabulous Fur Ball 2011: Let It Ride! We are betting on a full house for the popular gala, so go all in and buy your tickets online at www.spca.org/furball. Individual tickets are $150, or be a high roller and buy a $1,500 table for 10 friends or colleagues. For high profile sponsorship opportunities, contact Gina Parker at (214) 461-1810.
 
The SPCA of Texas is the leading animal welfare agency in North Texas. The non-profit organization operates two shelters and two spay/neuter clinics located in Dallas and McKinney, and maintains a team of five animal cruelty investigators to respond to thousands of calls in eight North Texas counties. Moreover, the SPCA of Texas serves as an active resource center for an array of services that bring people and animals together to enrich each others’ lives. The SPCA of Texas is not affiliated with any other entity and does not receive general operating funds from the City of Dallas, State of Texas, federal government or any other humane organization. The SPCA of Texas is dedicated to providing every animal exceptional care and a loving home.

(TERRELL, TX; McKINNEY, TX); September 7, 2011 -- At a hearing at the Kaufman County, Pct. 3 courthouse in Terrell, TX, Judge Mike Smith awarded the SPCA of Texas custody of three abandoned animals. Judge Smith also awarded the SPCA of Texas restitution in the amount of $2,214.30. However, the SPCA of Texas does not expect to receive any of this money to help offset costs.

Under the authority of the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department, the SPCA of Texas seized three abandoned animals--two dogs and one donkey--on August 29, 2011 from a Terrell, TX property.

To see photos taken at the property, visit www.spca.org/kaufmancounty082911.

The dogs and donkey were living on the property, having been abandoned by their owner, without appropriate food, water or care. One of the dogs had hair loss.

"The animals' overall health was good, but without the proper care, their health would have declined quickly," said Colby Grady, Chief Investigator for the SPCA of Texas. "There is no excuse for abandoning your pets and livestock animals. Ask friends and neighbors for help, ask your veterinarian, ask your local law enforcement or call the SPCA of Texas for possible resources if you are no longer able to care for your animals."

After receiving an anonymous complaint about abandoned animals, an SPCA of Texas Investigator visited the property on August 23rd and observed minimal water and stale hay. The Investigator left a door tag requesting that the animal owner contact him to talk about bringing the animals' living conditions into accordance with Texas Health and Safety Code.

The Investigator returned the next day, and this time found the gate to the property locked, so he placed another door tag on the outer gate requesting a call back. The Investigator then also contacted the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department, who contacted the property owner. The property owner stated that the animal owner was not on the property and that other individuals were providing food and water for the animals for the time being.

On August 25th, the SPCA of Texas Investigator returned to the property. With the property owner's permission, the Investigator entered the property, and again observed that the animals were not receiving appropriate food, water or care, as the dogs and donkey were being fed chips.

As of the day of the seizure, the animal owner had not responded to attempts to contact them, and has not begun giving the dogs and the donkey appropriate food, water and care. The Sheriff's Deputy and the SPCA of Texas' Investigator agreed that the dogs and the donkey were in need of care. On August 29th, the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department obtained a seizure warrant and the SPCA of Texas transported the animals to the SPCA of Texas' Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney, TX, where they have been cared for until today's custody hearing.

(GRAND SALINE TX; McKINNEY, TX); September 2, 2011 -- Before a hearing today at the Van Zandt County Courthouse, Justice of the Peace, Pct. 1 in Grand Saline, TX, an agreement was reached between the Van Zandt County District Attorney, the Van Zandt County Sheriff's Department, the animal owner and the SPCA of Texas. The owner signed an agreement with the SPCA of Texas to relinquish ownership of the 35 dogs and one bird.

Brenda Scott, the animal owner, said, "I don't want them back because I know they'll now go to homes that will give them better care than I can give."

Under the authority of the Van Zandt County Sheriff's Department, the SPCA of Texas seized 35 cruelly confined dogs (7 of which are puppies) and one bird on Friday, August 26 from a Grand Saline, TX property. The animals were being housed in a feces-filled, urine-soaked trailer on the property and in a small, filthy outdoor pen, and were not receiving proper food, water or care.

To view images from the seizure, visit www.spca.org/vanzandt082611.

All of the dogs appear to be small mixed breeds, and most of them suffered from hair loss, eye discharge, flea infestation and extremely long nails. The bird, a Lovebird, was living in a filthy, roach-infested cage and had feather loss and crusty skin.

Five small, mixed breed dogs were being housed in a 10' by 10' outdoor pen on the property. These dogs all appeared to have hair loss. The pen was filled with feces and urine, and none of the dogs had access to food or water. Another thirty small, mixed breed dogs were being housed inside the un-air conditioned, single wide trailer on the property. The trailer's wooden floor was soaked in urine and coated with feces. The dogs housed inside the trailer also appeared to be suffering from hair loss. The bird was also housed inside the trailer.

"We have home remedies that we give them, but sometimes they do get somewhat sick and we don't now how to cure them," said Ethan Scott, son of the animal owners. "Usually its the puppies and they just die, and we bury them in the yard. We have a whole bunch of dogs buried in the yard."

When asked how he felt the day of the seizure, Scott answered, "OK. It had to happen one of these days. It should be better now. We'll save money on dog food now."

The Van Zandt County Sheriff's Department contacted the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to provide support for the Scott family.

The SPCA of Texas and the Van Zandt County Sheriff's Department received complaints of animal cruelty at the property on August 20, and a Sheriff's Deputy and an SPCA of Texas Investigator promptly visited the location. Upon discovering the cruel confinement, inadequate food and water and filthy living conditions, the Deputy and the Investigator agreed that the dogs were in need of care. Friday, August 26, the Van Zandt County Sheriff's Department obtained a seizure warrant and the SPCA of Texas transported the dogs to the SPCA of Texas' Perry Animal Care Center at 8411 Stacy Rd. in McKinney,TX, where they have been cared for until today's custody hearing.

The animals will now begin to be evaluated for potential adoption of placement on a case by case basis.

To help support the SPCA of Texas and its efforts to help abused, neglected and homeless animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at www.spca.org.

(KAUFMAN COUNTY, TX; McKINNEY, TX); August 26, 2011 -- At a hearing at the Kaufman County Courthouse, Justice of the Peace, Pct. 1,  Judge Johnny Perry awarded the SPCA of Texas custody of four horses. Judge Perry also awarded the SPCA of Texas restitution in the amount of $1,972.35, however, the SPCA of Texas does not expect to receive any of this money to help offset costs.

Two Other Horses Found Dead on the Property

(GRAND SALINE, TX; McKINNEY, TX); September 2, 2011 -- At a custody hearing today at the Van Zandt County Pct. 1 Courthouse in Grand Saline, TX, Judge Don Kirkpatrick awarded the SPCA of Texas custody of horses seized from a Van Zandt County Property.

Under the authority of the Van Zandt County Sheriff's Department, the SPCA of Texas seized four starving horses on Tuesday, August 16 from a Van Zandt County property, just North of Canton, TX. The horses--two geldings, one yearling and one pony--were kept on an approximately 120-acre property without food or appropriate care. The remains of two deceased horses were also found on the property near a low-lying, tree-filled area.

 Although the horses did have access to a stock pond as a source of drinking water, no food was observed on the property. The geldings are extremely underweight. The yearling, who was first thought to be five of six months old, is small for its age due to malnutrition. The pony, though normal in weight, has a large growth on its side. 

To view photos of the horses, taken when they arrived at the SPCA of Texas’ Perry shelter in McKinney, visit www.spca.org/vanzandt081611.

One week before the seizure, the Van Zandt County Sheriff's Department served an evidentiary warrant on another matter at the property when they noticed the horses' conditions. Over the next several days, the Investigator for the Sheriff's Department attempted to work out an agreement with the animal owner to bring the animals' conditions into compliance with Texas Health and Safety Code. The animal owner was to begin feeding and providing necessary care for the animals or to surrender them to the SPCA of Texas. The animal owner did not comply.  

The Investigator for the Sheriff's Department and the Investigator for the SPCA of Texas agreed that the horses were in danger of dying and needed immediate care. The property owner does not own the animals, but when they learned of the animal cruelty taking place on their property at the hands of the animal owner, the property owner granted the Van Zandt County Sheriff's Department and the SPCA of Texas permission to access the property. The Van Zandt County Sheriff's Department obtained a seizure warrant on Tuesday, August 16 and the animals were removed by the SPCA of Texas and taken to the SPCA of Texas Perry Animal Care Center at 8411 Stacy Rd. in McKinney,TX, where they were cared for until the custody hearing.

"These horses were slowly starving to death in the extreme Texas summer heat due to lack of food and appropriate care," said Art Muñoz, Senior Investigator for the SPCA of Texas. "The horses are now receiving the food and care they so desperately needed."

To help support the SPCA of Texas and its efforts to help abused, neglected and homeless animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at www.spca.org.

One Dog Has Passed Away from Heat Stroke and Starvation

(DALLAS, TX); July 7, 2011 -- One dog has passed away and another is in serious but stable condition after a report of suspected animal cruelty led an SPCA of Texas investigator to a property in Wills Point, TX on July 7th. On July 12^th, five days after the dogs were discovered, the owners were charged with criminal animal cruelty--a Class A misdemeanor--and arrested.

To view photos of the surviving dog, taken one week after she arrived at the SPCA of Texas’ shelter, visit www.spca.org/vanzandt070711.

The SPCA of Texas received a complaint of suspected animal cruelty at the Wills Point, TX property on July 6, 2011. The next day, an SPCA of Texas investigator visited the property and observed an emaciated male Rottweiler mix named Bubba chained to a tree in front of the trailer home. The dog owner indicated that two other dogs also lived on the property.

The second Rottweiler, a female named Che (pronounced “Shay”) found living beside the trailer home, was extremely emaciated. The third dog, a Pit Bull mix who appeared to be in good body condition, was kept in a sewage-filled, fenced-in area behind the trailer.

No food or water was observed anywhere on the property.

The SPCA of Texas Investigator called the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Department to report the dire situation the animals were suffering from, and a Deputy responded immediately. The Investigator and the Deputy agreed that the two Rottweilers were in immediate danger of dying and needed emergency care. The dog owners agreed to transport the two Rottweilers to the SPCA of Texas’ Dealey Animal Care Center in Dallas immediately and to bring the Pit Bull mix the next day.

Shortly after the dogs arrived at the SPCA of Texas’ shelter, Bubba the male Rottweiler passed away. His body temperature registered 106.7° F when he arrived. For reference, a normal body temperature range for dogs is between 99.5° to 102.5° F. A necropsy later showed that he died from heat stroke and starvation.

Che arrived at the shelter dehydrated and emaciated. She will continue to be treated and, at a later date, be evaluated for potential adoption or placement.

The owners neglected to bring in the third dog, however, the SPCA of Texas has confirmation that that dog is no longer on the property.

The SPCA of Texas Investigator gathered the evidence of the case and presented it to the District Attorney, which resulted in the two owners being arrested on July 12^th. The owners face charges of animal cruelty.

"These dogs were slowly starving to death in over 100 degree heat due to lack of even the most basic care," said Art Muñoz, Senior Investigator for the SPCA of Texas. "Without the initial complaint and our quick response, we wouldn’t have been able to save Che."

To help support the SPCA of Texas and its efforts to help abused, neglected and homeless animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at www.spca.org.

(DALLAS, TX, McKINNEY, TX); July 1, 2011 -- More than just the heat can be harmful to your pet during the summer. Memorial Day, Labor Day and the Fourth of July are the top three holidays for pet emergencies because of outdoor activities where pets run loose. Firecrackers, with their loud, startling and scary noises, can also be harmful to your pets’ well being. And Texas summers bring brutally hot conditions. The SPCA of Texas recommends these tips to make your pets’ Fourth of July a safe one:

• Keep your pets indoors with the air conditioner running and the windows closed or keep a radio on to help mask out as much noise as possible. Also try distracting them: follow their regular routine, play with them or crate them up until the fireworks are over. Make sure they have current tags and a microchip to ensure their safe return should they bolt out of fear.
  
• Heat is another reason to keep your pets indoors this summer. Also, be sure your pet has access to cool water at all times and never leave pets in parked vehicles.
  
• Be aware of neighborhood pranksters throwing firecrackers over your fence to frighten your pet. Also be careful using sparklers, as they can burn animals as well as people.
  
• Allow your pets the freedom to seek refuge under the bed, behind the toilet or in the back of the closet. This may soothe them more than cuddling with them.
  
• Your dog may not want to accompany you to the local fireworks extravaganza. He may prefer some nice quiet time in your lap after everything is over. Also, during the festivities, keep your dog busy with chew toys.
  
• If your pet gets especially stressed or your neighborhood is particularly noisy, you may wish to talk to your veterinarian about the practicality of using tranquilizers or homeopathic remedies. Consider sending your pet to a nice quiet boarding kennel for the worst of it.
  
• Even if the proper precautions are taken, some animals may develop deeply rooted fears of loud noises after fireworks displays or thunderstorms. Commonly seen effects include: shaking; trembling; excessive drooling; barking; howling; trying to hide or get into or out of the house, fence, or other enclosure; refusing to eat food; loss of bladder or bowel control or temporary diarrhea.
  
• The best way to treat this problem is through preventive conditioning, the process of desensitizing an animal to loud noises. Start by introducing your puppy or kitten to loud noises such as handclaps when they are relatively young. As the animal grows, softly bang pots and pans together and escalate the noise. Soon your dog or cat will not be traumatized by loud noises.

This Fourth of July, keep your beloved companion animals indoors where it is safe. And as a reminder, all SPCA of Texas locations will be closed Monday, July 4, 2011 in observance of the holiday.

Grant Funding the Initiative Provides for Law Enforcement Support, Marketing Campaign

(DALLAS, TX); June 24, 2011— This morning, Friday, June 24 at 10 a.m., the SPCA of Texas will hold a press conference at 2400 Lone Star Drive in Dallas to announce the launch of a new initiative and public awareness campaign to stamp out puppy mills in North Texas. Speakers will include James Bias, SPCA of Texas President; Dallas Tharpe, Assistant District Attorney, Smith County; Investigator Roy Lynn, Smith County District Attorney's Office; and P. Shawn Ashley, DVM, SPCA of Texas.

Thanks to a generous grant from The Rees-Jones Foundation, the SPCA of Texas has already begun reaching out to North Texas law enforcement agencies and providing support, education and resources to stop this cruel breeding cycle.

The SPCA of Texas is now actively working to educate potential puppy purchasers and the general public about the cruel and inhumane conditions these puppies and breeding dogs are forced to live in. In a puppy mill, often hundreds of breeding dogs are caged their entire lives in crowded, filthy conditions, without access to care, while their puppies, often suffering from illness and parasites like their parents, are sold to an unsuspecting public.

The puppy mill initiative seeks to enlist the public’s support by educating them on the signs of a puppy mill, teaching them about current animal cruelty laws in Texas, asking them to report all suspected animal cruelty and abuse to their local law enforcement and the SPCA of Texas and inviting people to sign the puppy pledge, all at www.spca.org/knowpuppymills

The SPCA of Texas is spreading the word that puppy mill owners can be deceptive. They often will not provide a health guarantee, will not let buyers meet the puppy’s parents or allow puppy purchasers on their property. They create convincing websites, take on friendly demeanors and excel at conning people into believing they are legitimate, caring breeders. But the reality is that many people are simply in it for profit, and they abuse and neglect animals as a part of their livelihood. The SPCA of Texas will fight that deception with education and arm North Texas with information so they can fight the cruelty of puppy mills by ceasing to buy their pets from flea markets, parking lots, newspaper ads, internet listings and from the side of the road.

“The real problem is that people continue to purchase puppy mill dogs, not out of malice, but simply because they don't know where the puppy they bought comes from, and often out of kindness,” says James Bias, President of the SPCA of Texas. "They unwillingly or unknowingly support a vicious industry. The SPCA of Texas believes that, once educated about the effects of their purchases and the tactics puppy millers use to deceive them, people will actively seek out better ways to find their forever friend.”

Thanks to special partners, including The Marketing Arm and Coffee Productions, the SPCA of Texas will actively raise awareness for this vital initiative through advertisements and public service announcements on television, radio, online and outdoor advertising.

Supporters can see the SPCA of Texas' billboard located at Northbound 75 between Lovers Lane and Caruth Haven, advertisements are currently running on CBS Radio stations, and a television commercial will air on local cable channels beginning in July. Stay tuned online through The SPCA of Texas’ social networking sites including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr. For more information, visit www.spca.org or call 214-742-SPCA.

The SPCA of Texas urges the public to adopt your next pet from your local shelter or breed rescue group. If you do decide to purchase from a breeder, choose one that is reputable. All reputable breeders provide detailed genealogical information dating back several generations and will have the mother available for you to meet (who will appear clean, well cared for and happy). A reputable breeder should always provide a health guarantee and may require that you spay or neuter your pet as a part of the purchase agreement should you not be a licensed breeder yourself.

This initiative to stop cruel conditions at puppy mills is only possible because of The Rees-Jones Foundation’s support. Once the effectiveness of this campaign is measured, the goal is to take this initiative to other areas to eventually drive puppy mills out of the state of Texas.

To take the puppy pledge today, visit www.spca.org/knowpuppymills.

(TYLER, TX; McKINNEY, TX); May 26, 2011—At a hearing today at the Smith County Courthouse, Justice of the Peace, Pct. 2, Judge Gary Alfred presiding, the SPCA of Texas received custody of 61 dogs seized at a puppy mill last week. Prior to the hearing, it was agreed by all parties--the dogs' owners, the Assistant District Attorney and the SPCA of Texas--that the owner would release ownership of the dogs to the SPCA of Texas and would pay restitution in the amount of $8,000 over the next three years. However, the SPCA of Texas does not actually expect to receive any of this money to help offset costs.  

At the beginning of the hearing, the agreement was approved by Judge Alfred. The dogs will now be individually evaluated for potential adoption or placement on a case by case basis. They will first require extensive veterinary treatment for illnesses such as severe dental disease, skin problems and severe ear infections. The dogs will go up for adoption in the coming weeks once they are released by an SPCA of Texas veterinarian. 

Under the authority of the Smith County District Attorney's Office, the SPCA of Texas seized 61 cruelly confined dogs from a property in Tyler, TX on Thursday, May 26, 2011. The dogs—small breeds such as Chihuahuas, Miniature Poodles, Cocker Spaniels, Pugs, Pekingese and Pomeranians—were reportedly also being medically neglected and used in a breeding operation, and were all housed in a 1,400 square foot residence on the property. Evidence shows that the animal owner sells her puppies at Canton First Mondays as well as through newspaper advertisements.

To view photos and video from the scene, visit www.spca.org/smithcounty052611.

Two nursing mother dogs with their litters and two additional litters were housed in stacked or open wire cages in the laundry room area of the house. Many of the other dogs had free roam of the urine-soaked, feces-filled house and back yard while others were confined to the bedroom area of the house via a garden gate at the end of a hallway. The dogs appeared to be suffering from various medical issues, including hair loss, flea infestation, blindness, eye discharge, matted hair, long nails and various wounds.

“Puppy millers lead people to believe that the puppies they sell come from happy, healthy moms living in the lap of luxury, but that couldn't be further from the truth,” said Colby Grady, Chief Investigator for the SPCA of Texas. “The cruelty that goes on in puppy mills often isn't apparent to the public, as puppy millers hide the filthy conditions they force their breeding dogs to live in. Please help the SPCA of Texas stop the abuse by reporting all suspected cruelty, neglect and abuse to your local law enforcement and the SPCA of Texas.”

SPCA of Texas vehicles transported the dogs to the Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney, TX, where they were examined by medical staff and cared for until the custody hearing.

The SPCA of East Texas reached out to the SPCA of Texas on Friday, May 20 for assistance in this case. The SPCA of Texas' Chief Investigator met with the SPCA of East Texas and District Attorney's Office authorities on Monday, May 23. The SPCA of Texas concurred with the officials that it was in the dogs' best interest to obtain a warrant and remove the animals.

This had been an ongoing investigation involving multiple complaints, however in the past several days before the seizure, new evidence provided by the SPCA of East Texas uncovered the extent of the dogs' horrific living conditions and allowed law enforcement to seek a warrant and remove the animals from the property.

To help support the SPCA of Texas and its efforts to help abused, neglected and homeless animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at www.spca.org.

SPCA of Texas Dedicates New Webb Garden

On April 30^th, SPCA of Texas staff and volunteers joined generous donors and their families to dedicate the Webb Garden, a wonderful gift to the animals of the SPCA of Texas from John and Joyce Webb.  A little more than a year ago, the winding paths, shade trees and native flowers were just grass and overgrown shrubs.  It took one volunteer to envision what the area could become, and how it could benefit the homeless dogs in our shelter.

Joyce Webb is a longtime volunteer at our Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney, and she has a particular heart for the dogs who are a little sad or frightened.  You might say she is a “dog whisperer,” who helps put the sparkle back in their eyes, and helps match them to just the right families.  Joyce knew that dogs would benefit from walking in the sunshine, or sitting in the shade being brushed and petted.  She hoped that having a happy, safe place for walking would attract more volunteers to work with the dogs.  Joyce and her husband, John, made the lead gift to create the beautiful dog-walking garden.

“I wanted a place where the dogs could be shown off at their best; where their ears are up and their tails are wagging,” said Joyce. “My hope it that [the garden] will be used a lot by volunteers and potential adopters because that’s when you see a dog at its best, thinking “life is good.”

Once we started talking about the dog-walking garden, the whole community rallied to help. In addition to John and Joyce, the SPCA of Texas is grateful to our other generous partners:

Maria Birchett,  the garden’s designer. 

Neil Sperry, Susan Owens, and the other members of Crape Myrtle Trails of McKinney, who planted native crape myrtles in the garden and on the Perry campus.

The Confirmation Class of Stonebridge United Methodist Church:  More than 40 6^th graders and their parents measured and laid out the trails and dug the plant beds as their mission project.   

We’d like to express our continued gratitude to our team of professionals who created the garden: Linda Yarborough and the men of Texas Tree and Landscape.

And we are especially grateful to the B.B. Owen Foundation for providing additional funding to help with this project.

Thank you very much.  Your contribution is helping to change the world for homeless animals. 

(GUNTER, TX); Saturday, May 7, 2011―Under the authority of the Gunter Police Department, the SPCA of Texas seized 55 fighting roosters and two dogs from a property North of Gunter, TX today. The bodies of three roosters that appeared to have died from fighting were also found.

To view photos of the scene, visit http://www.spca.org/roosters050711.

Except for the deceased roosters and an injured rooster, the other birds were all housed in wooden transport crates commonly used by cockfighters. The dogs were loose on the property.

The animals were transported to a secure location, where they are being cared for until the custody hearing, which will be held on May 16 at the Municipal Courthouse on 508 W. Main in Gunter, TX 75058. The SPCA of Texas will post the exact time as soon as possible. The birds that survived the fight will be treated by SPCA of Texas medical staff.

A task force of several law enforcement groups were involved in the operation, including the Gunter Police Department, the Van Alstyne Police Department, the Grayson County Sheriff's Department, the Grayson County District Attorney's office, Texas Parks and Wildlife, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

An informant alerted law enforcement on April 26 that rooster fighting was occurring on this property. Law enforcement immediately began taking steps to put a stop to the illegal activity. The Gunter Police Department contacted the SPCA of Texas on Friday, May 6 for assistance with the birds. A fight was in progress on the rural property when law enforcement authorities arrived.

"The SPCA of Texas is thankful to the task force agencies for sending a clear message that this criminal activity will not be tolerated," said Colby Grady, Chief Investigator for the SPCA of Texas. "Cockfighting is a brutal, horrific, illegal activity that, sadly, occurs all over the state of Texas."

Cockfighting is a crime in all 50 states, including Texas, where it is a felony, punishable by two years in a state jail and/or a $10,000 fine. It is a felony in 35 states and the District of Columbia and a misdemeanor in 15 states. Since 2002, a federal law has prohibited any interstate or foreign transport of fighting animals.


If the SPCA of Texas is awarded custody of the animals, they would be individually evaluated for potential placement on a case by case basis.

To help the SPCA of Texas fund future efforts like this and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit http://www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at http://www.spca.org.

SPCA of Texas encourages responsible rabbit, chick and duckling ownership

Easter egg hunts, colorful candy-filled baskets and family gatherings are all wonderful ways to celebrate Easter. As the Easter bunny comes hippety-hopping to make his yearly visit, the SPCA of Texas reminds the public that rabbits, chicks and ducklings do not make good gifts.  

Pet ownership is not something to be entered into lightly, and it is important that the entire family makes the decision to commit to caring for a pet. Sadly, most bunnies, chicks and ducklings bought on the spur of the moment end up being abandoned, and most do not survive past their first birthday.

Although the idea of furry, fuzzy, fluff balls romping through the fresh, spring grass may seem appealing, it is important to consider the following before adding these little ones to your family:

• Rabbits, chicks and ducklings are not “low maintenance” pets and are not a good choice for small children, who like pets they can hold and snuggle with.
• The average lifespan for a rabbit is 7-10 years, and the average chicken or duck lives to be about 8-12 years old. Some chickens can live to be up to 25 years old!
• These little ones are not passive and cuddly; rather, they are ground-loving creatures who feel frightened and insecure when held or restrained. They are also fragile and their legs and spine can easily break if they are dropped or handled roughly.
• Rabbits require as much or more care as a dog or cat. They need to live indoors as part of the family, they need their hutches cleaned daily and should be spayed or neutered or they will mark their territory with feces and urine.
• Chickens and ducks require specialized diets, habitats and care to stay happy and healthy.

Before adopting a rabbit, a chick or a duckling, the SPCA of Texas urges you and your family to do your research and make sure that they are the appropriate pet choice for your family.

Otherwise, help end the cycle of abandoned Easter rabbits, chicks and ducklings and buy your child a chocolate bunny or a plush chick or duckling instead.

SPCA of Texas Offers $5,000 Reward
in the Case of Mutilated Cat Found in Northeast Dallas

(DALLAS, TX); April 14, 2011—April is Animal Cruelty Prevention Month, and the SPCA of Texas, Dallas Animal Services and the Dallas Police Department are partnering to raise awareness about a horrific trend that seems to occur each spring: cat mutilations.

The SPCA of Texas is offering $5,000 as a reward to any individual who provides information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator(s) who has allegedly mutilated and killed a cat in the 6200 block of Revere Place in Northeast Dallas. In the latest case, the cat was found cleanly severed in half and a veterinarian later determined that the cat had been mutilated by a human, not another animal (Incident # 83886Y). Furthermore, the same veterinarian reported that another client brought in another similarly mutilated cat earlier the same week that had been found near 2200 Cedar Springs.

Dallas Animal Services regularly monitors animal cruelty cases, and has noticed a trend over the past few years that each spring, more cats are found mutilated in the same area of Dallas. Each time a Dallas citizen reports this frightening type of animal cruelty to the Dallas Police Department, Dallas Animal Services then assists the Dallas Police Department, who conducts the investigations, to track down the perpetrator(s). The SPCA of Texas is then able to offer a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons who mutilated the cat.

Anyone with information on this most recent case should contact the Dallas Police Department’s Central Investigative Unit at 214-671-4416.

"There is a well-documented link between animal cruelty and human violence." said SPCA of Texas President James Bias. "Helping the Dallas Police Department bring these individuals to justice will help stop the cycle of abuse."

The SPCA of Texas points out that animal cruelty is often an early warning sign of violent tendencies that will be acted out against people. Childhood cruelty to animals has been linked to later antisocial and aggressive behavior in several retrospective studies.

The SPCA of Texas is committed to stopping this cycle through maintaining an active Rescue & Investigations team that responds to reports of abuse and neglect in eight North Texas counties, through lobbying the Texas legislature to strengthen animal cruelty laws, by encouraging the community to get involved in their local and state government to advocate for animals and by encouraging individuals to report all suspected animal cruelty to their local law enforcement agency and the SPCA of Texas. To report suspected cruelty or abuse to the SPCA of Texas, call 214-742-SPCA (7722) or visit www.spca.org/abuse.

The SPCA of Texas will do everything in its power to assist Dallas Animal Services and the Dallas Police Department as they investigate and work with prosecutors to take this case, and those like it, as far as possible under state law and bring these perpetrators to justice.

WHAT: Craving some creative activities for your little critters this summer? Between crafts, activities and opportunities to play with the animals, the SPCA of Texas' Critter Camp may just be the perfect creation!

Campers will learn the basics of animal care from our professional staff, hear about how our rescue team works to stop animal cruelty, have the opportunity to pet and play with our shelter animals and learn about important values such as kindness and love. They’ll find out what they can do to help pets in their own neighborhoods. Best of all, they’ll meet new friends both two-legged and four-legged!

Critter Camp is divided into five sessions for kids between the ages of 8-11 years old. Each week-long session takes place on Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the SPCA of Texas' Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney. Space is limited to 15 campers per session and will be available on a first come, first served basis for $190 per camper per session. 

Registration begins Monday, April 4th and will end when sessions are full. Sessions fill up quickly, so be sure to register online at www.spca.org/crittercamp.

WHEN:   Week 1:  June 6 - 10
             Week 2: June 27 - July 1
             Week 3: July 11 - 15
             Week 4: July 25 - 29
             Week 5: Aug 8 - 12
     
Each Session: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Campers must bring a sack lunch from home each day and wear sturdy play clothes
                 
Registration begins on April 4

WHERE: Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney
             8411 Stacy Road/FM 720
             McKinney, Texas 75070

COST:    $190 per camper, per session

HOW:     Registration is available online at www.spca.org/crittercamp

WHAT: Lace up those sneakers, hook up that leash and get ready to roll out with your best tailwaggin’ friend on Saturday, April 16, 2011 for the SPCA of Texas’ 6^th annual Strut Your Mutt fun walk/run presented by VCA Animal Hospital Companies. Register online today at www.strutyourmutt.info. 

The SPCA of Texas’ Annual Strut Your Mutt Event is one of Dallas’ most popular fun runs for charity. Thousands of pets and their people walk, run, roll and stroll the broad sidewalks of Fair Park, enjoying food, music, kids’ activities and exciting booths. It’s all to help the SPCA of Texas to rescue, heal and find homes for tens of thousands of North Texas animals in 2011.

Start building your team today! Maybe you’ll walk as a family, a Scout Troop, a Sunday School or PTA, or a group of friends. It’s also a great activity for corporate teams and for students who need community service hours. Or just participate individually -- you’ll have a doggone great time!

Then strut your stuff to secure your sponsors. Use the Strut Your Mutt website to create your own online headquarters to unleash emails to all your friends and family, devise your own fundraising goals and collar others to come cheer you on.

The top fundraisers will win fabulous prizes. Everyone who registers can also help the SPCA of Texas raise funds by participating in the iPod Nano Challenge, Top Dog, Leader of the Pack and Lucky Dog fundraising challenges. Those who can't be at Strut Your Mutt that day may register as Lazy Dogs and participate in fundraising challenges. Online registration is available until Friday, April 15 at 9 a.m. but registration will also be open at the event as well.

The first three registered Mutt Strutters to raise $3,500 will each win an iPod Nano. This challenge ends on Thursday, April 14 at Noon.

The Top Dog individual fundraiser will receive VCA Animal Hospital Companies’ Canine Dental Package ($350 Total Value) and a three-month membership at Larry North Fitness (with two personal training sessions). The Leader of the Pack top team fundraisers will receive 16 Dallas Mavericks tickets and a three-month membership at Larry North Fitness (with two personal training sessions).

The day of the event, three winners will each receive one of the following prizes in the Lucky Dog Drawing: a VCA Animal Hospital Companies Yearly Vaccine Package $550 total value), two Southwest Airline tickets to any location in the continental United States or a three-month membership at Larry North Fitness (with two personal training sessions).

Family, friends and canines won’t want to miss this year’s fundraiser, which includes a bounce house, paw painting, live music and more! The registration fee is only $35 per person (pooches get in free!) and all proceeds benefit the wonderful pets at the SPCA of Texas who are waiting for loving homes. Free parking is available at Gate 5.

The festivities begin at 9:30 a.m. by the Tower Building at Fair Park in downtown Dallas and the 3K Walk/Fun Run will begin at 10:15 a.m. Mix 102.9 DJ, Rick O’Bryan, will be there to entertain with some tunes, emcee the event and present the fundraising winners with their fantastic prizes. The local trio, Lantana, will perform some of their edgy, country hits for everyone to enjoy during the event.

In addition to the walk, we will have plenty of family-fun events for you to enjoy including puppy play pools, an agility course, a kids’ zone complete with a bounce house, hula hoops and more, and of course Musical Sit & Stay to play with your pets.

Rick O’Bryan will present our top fundraisers with their fabulous prizes including Dallas Mavericks tickets, gift baskets from VCA Animal Hospital Companies, Southwest airline tickets and more. For every $100 all other participants raise, their names will be entered into a drawing to win amazing prizes. Only donations entered by Thursday, April 14 at Noon will be counted toward top Fundraising Challenge prizes; however, donations may be made for Strut Your Mutt through May 31, 2011

Special thanks to prize donors Southwest Airlines, Dallas Mavericks, VCA Animal Hospital Companies, Hilton Anatole, Larry North Fitness and many more. All proceeds benefit the SPCA of Texas.

We sincerely thank your generous partners, Presenting Sponsor: VCA Animal Hospital Companies; Platinum Collar sponsors: Simple Solution and Hills Science Diet; Diamond Collar sponsor: PETCO and PETCO Foundation; Gold Collar sponsors: Time Warner Cable, Dallas Mavericks and Lantana; Silver Collar sponsors: AAA Texas, Inc., Alphagraphics Market Center, Fuze, Larry North Fitness, Southwest Airlines, Suzanne Demaree Photographer and Liberty Mutual; and Media sponsors: Mix 102.9 and The Greensheet.

Because the SPCA of Texas relies entirely on private donations, events like Strut Your Mutt are absolutely essential to making our community a better place for people and pets.

So pick up the leash, pick up the phone, and pick up the pace! Sign up today to Strut Your Mutt!

WHEN:   Saturday, April 16, 2011 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
              Festivities begin at 9:30 a.m.
              3K Walk/Fun Run begins at 10:15 a.m. 

WHERE: Fair Park in Dallas, Tower Building

COST:   Registration fee for an individual is $35 (includes free food, a t-shirt, bandana and goody bag)
All proceeds benefit the SPCA of Texas.

HOW:    Visit www.strutyourmutt.info for complete information and special rules for four-legged participants or to register, create a team or sponsor an individual or a team. 

March is Heartworm Prevention Month

SPCA of Texas Warns Pet Owners About the Dangers of Heartworms

(DALLAS,TX/McKINNEY,TX) March 25, 2011--Texans continue to welcome all the lovely warm weather this Spring, but they’re also faced with an army of unwelcome pests: mosquitoes. These tiny flying insects aren’t just a bother to people, they are carriers of a parasite that can be deadly to pets. In honor of heartworm prevention month, the SPCA of Texas urges pet owners to have their pet tested for heartworms, have heartworm positive animals treated and to diligently give their pets heartworm preventative monthly.

Heartworms are large worms that live in the hearts and lungs of dogs (the most common host for this parasite), but they can also be found in other species such as cats, ferrets, foxes, horses and wolves. Heartworms are carried in a microscopic form in mosquitoes that have bitten an infected animal. When a mosquito bites a healthy dog, that dog becomes infected with the heartworms, which then circulate in the bloodstream, multiply and obstruct the flow of blood to the heart and lungs. If the animal is not treated, the result is fatal.

The only way to avoid heartworms is to give your dog a monthly dose of heartworm preventative, which is available at the SPCA of Texas’ two clinics in Dallas and McKinney.

To keep your pets healthy and happy this Spring, first have them heartworm tested to ensure they are free of the parasite. If your pets test negative for heartworms, start them on a preventative immediately.

If your pet tests positive for heartworms, he or she will need to undergo treatment as soon as possible.

For more information, log on to www.spca.org or call the SPCA of Texas at 214-742-SPCA (7722).

On March 22, 2011, a hearing took place at the Cedar Hill Government Center regarding the 1,601 animals the SPCA of Texas seized under the authority of the Cedar Hill Police Department on March 14, 2011. Judge Michael Petty of the Cedar Hill Municipal Court awarded approximately 600 roosters, hens, chicks, and approximately 1,000 eggs to the SPCA of Texas. While in the SPCA of Texas’ custody, an average of 18 eggs continue to hatch each day. Judge Petty awarded the SPCA of Texas restitution in the amount of $51,948.00. However, the SPCA of Texas does not actually expect to receive any of this money to help offset costs.

Judge Petty ordered that the 10 dogs (including eight puppies), two rabbits and two geese be returned to Mr. Minh Pham.

At this time, the SPCA of Texas will hold the fowl and eggs under armed guard for 10 days, during which Mr. Pham has the right to secure the court designated appeal bond in the amount of $207,800.00 and appeal the decision. After the 10 days, if Mr. Pham does not appeal, the animals would be individually evaluated for potential placement on a case by case basis.

“I’ve heard the testimony of a doctor of veterinary medicine that these birds are by temperament, agility and stamina predisposed to fight,” said Judge Petty. ”I’m willing to make the leap that these are fighting birds.”  

At the property, two dead birds were found in an empty dog food bag with leather bindings still wrapped around their legs. These leather bindings likely held blades. Further, about half of the birds had insufficient water and they did not have sufficient food. They were being cruelly confined, and some birds had water that was black and filled with algae. Many of them did not have appropriate shelter and there was one dead bird who was housed with living birds.

The rabbits were being cruelly confined and forced to live in their own feces and urine, and one of the rabbits is unable to defecate due to a medical problem. The geese were dehydrated because they did not have access to appropriate food or water. Two of the puppies did not have access to appropriate food or water.

Shawn Ashley, DVM, reported that six of the puppies were, “Covered with fecal burns with poop allowed to be on their back legs, stomach and kept in unsanitary conditions. One puppy looked like its tail is dying.”

It is the SPCA of Texas’ hope that the animals who will be returned to the owner will receive the medical and basic care they need.

First Day of Spring Meet and Greet Adoption Event Sunday, March 20

WHAT: To kick off the first day of spring, the SPCA of Texas is hosting a “meet and greet” horse and donkey adoption event on Sunday, March 20 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Perry Animal Care Center at 8411 Stacy Road in McKinney.

To view the animals before Sunday, visit www.spca.org/findapet. To begin the adoption process, fill out the adoption application at www.spca.org/adoptlivestock today.

Although some of the 7 horses and 8 donkeys who are waiting for their forever homes at the SPCA of Texas right now have been through some very difficult times, these big guys and gals still have some “spring in their step,” and they are waiting for their second chance at life and love as gentle companions.

HOW:   To adopt a livestock animal from the SPCA of Texas, prospective adopters fill out a livestock adoption application at www.spca.org/adoptlivestock.

To see adoptable horses and donkeys prior to the meet and greet, visit www.spca.org/findapet.

The adoption fee for horses is $150 and the adoption fee for donkeys is $100.

WHEN: Sunday, March 20 -- 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

WHERE: SPCA of Texas’ Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney
8411 Stacy Rd., McKinney, TX 75070

WHY:    Horses and donkeys are wonderful companion animals for those who are familiar with and can provide the proper care for them. And, if your pasture is in need of a security guard, consider adopting a donkey.

Horses and donkeys available for adoption at the SPCA of Texas are often rescued from inhumane conditions, though some are owner surrenders. In fact, in the last six months, the Rescue and Investigations team has seized 38 horses from inhumane conditions all over North Texas. The team serves eight counties, including Dallas, Ellis, Fannin, Grayson, Hunt, Kaufman, Rains and Van Zandt.

(Cedar Hill, TX); March 14, 2011--Under the authority of the Cedar Hill Police Department, the SPCA of Texas seized 1,601 animals--1,000 eggs; 587 fighting roosters, hens and chicks; ten dogs and puppies; 2 rabbits and 2 geese--on Monday, March 14, 2011, from 551 Knight St. in Cedar Hill, TX. The bodies of two roosters that appeared to have died from fighting were also found.

The majority of the roosters, hens and chicks were being housed in makeshift cages and hutches that were lined up as far as the eye could see, packing the back half of the property. Some were running loose on the property, some were running loose inside a house and many others were housed in pens in a barn. Eggs were found both inside the house on the property in incubators (about 400 of the eggs) and outside in various roosting containers (about 600 eggs). Eight of the dogs and puppies were roaming the property and two dogs were found in pens next to the barn. The rabbits were in enclosures inside the barn and geese were found in pens.

Further, the birds' water was contaminated with feces and there was no food in the enclosures.

The animals were transported to a secure location, where they are being cared for under armed guard until the custody hearing, which will be held on Tuesday, March 22 at the Municipal Court at the Cedar Hill Government Center located at 285 Uptown Blvd. in Cedar Hill, TX. The birds that survived the fight will be treated by SPCA of Texas medical staff.

To view photos of the scene, visit http://www.spca.org/rooster031411.

The Cedar Hill Police Department received an anonymous tip from a concerned citizen on Sunday, March 13 that a cockfight was in progress. After securing the scene, the Cedar Hill Police department called the SPCA of Texas for assistance with the birds.

"This is the largest-scale rooster seizure that we've been involved in," said Ann Barnes, Sr. Vice President of Operations for the SPCA of Texas. "Cockfighting is a brutal, horrific, illegal activity that, sadly, occurs all over the state of Texas. We're thankful to the Cedar Hill Police Department for sending a strong message that this criminal activity will not be tolerated in their city."

Cockfighting is a crime in all 50 states, including Texas, where it is a felony, punishable by two years in a state jail and/or a $10,000 fine. It is a felony in 35 states and the District of Columbia and a misdemeanor in 15 states. Since 2002, a federal law has prohibited any interstate or foreign transport of fighting animals.

If the SPCA of Texas is awarded custody of the animals, they would be individually evaluated for potential placement on a case by case basis.

(KEMP,TX/McKINNEY,TX); February 8, 2011-- At a hearing at the Kaufman County Courthouse, Justice of the Peace, Pct. 4, Judge Johnny Adams presiding, the SPCA of Texas received custody of one dog. The owner released ownership of the dog to the SPCA of Texas and restitution was waved.

Under the authority of the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department, the SPCA of Texas seized one dog from a property in Kemp, Texas.

One dog, along with approximately six cats were living inside a residence with their owner. The dog appeared to be extremely bloated due to a greatly distended abdomen and suffered from hair loss and was infested with fleas. She also suffered from an enlarged heart and was found to be emaciated once medically evaluated by the SPCA of Texas’ medical staff.

One cat seemed to have a serious infection in its rectum and was in need of immediate veterinary care. The owner agreed to surrender the injured cat to the SPCA of Texas.

Kaufman County officials asked the SPCA of Texas for assistance in this case. An SPCA of Texas investigator visited the property and made several attempts to work with the owner to come into compliance with the law. The owner was unable to properly care for the dog, and officials agreed that she needed to be removed from the property immediately.

SPCA of Texas vehicles transported the dog to the Perry Animal Care Center at 8411 Stacy Road/FM 720 in McKinney, TX 75070, where she was examined by medical staff and cared for until the custody hearing.

To help the SPCA of Texas fund future efforts like this and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit http://www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at http://www.spca.org 

(TERRELL,TX/McKINNEY,TX); February 7, 2011--At a hearing at the Kaufman County Courthouse, Justice of the Peace, Pct. 1,  Judge Eric Williams presiding, the SPCA of Texas received custody of three horses and three dogs. Restitution in the amount of $3,358.20 was awarded to the SPCA of Texas; however, the SPCA of Texas does not expect to receive any of this money to help offset costs.

During the ruling, Judge Williams stated that, “In the health and safety code section 821.021 the owner was in violation, and at this time does not need to have any animals.”

To download photos from the scene, please right click on the following link or copy and paste it into a browser: http://www.spca.org/terrell013011

Three horses were found in a small pasture behind the owner’s residence. One horse appeared to be emaciated and extremely ill and was suffering from eye discharge. Another horse was suffering from an injured leg and was limping and unable to stand on all four feet properly.  None of the horses had proper food, shelter or water.

The three dogs were housed inside the residence which was covered in feces and urine. All the dogs appeared to be properly fed, watered and sheltered.

Kaufman County officials asked the SPCA of Texas for assistance in this case. An SPCA of Texas investigator accompanied law enforcement officers to the property several times and made attempts to work with the owner to come into compliance with the law. The owner was unable to properly care for these animals, and the conditions of the animals continued to deteriorate.

Kaufman County officials asked the SPCA of Texas to assist in removing these animals from their conditions and to provide proper care for them until the custody hearing.

SPCA of Texas vehicles transported the animals to the Perry Animal Care Center at 8411 Stacy Road/FM 720 in McKinney, TX 75070, where they were examined by medical staff and cared for until the custody hearing.

To help the SPCA of Texas fund future efforts like this and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit http://www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at http://www.spca.org 

Thanks to the fantastic partnership with MAC, the SPCA of Texas was able to spay or neuter and vaccinate 500 pets in just four weeks, and now MAC has extended the funding so even more families can take advantage of this wonderful offer. The program now offers these vouchers to 16 additional zip codes.

To qualify for this special program, individuals must reside in one of 32 zip codes in the City of Dallas including: 75201, 75202, 75203, 75208, 75209, 75210, 75211, 75212, 75214, 75215, 75216, 75217, 75218, 75219, 75220, 75223, 75224, 75227, 75228, 75231, 75232, 75233, 75235, 75236, 75237, 75238, 75241, 75243, 75244, 75246, 75247 and 75253. They also must complete paperwork indicating their place of residence and provide a $10 co-pay for the services.

Make the resolution to give the gift of health and happiness to your pet, and apply for a voucher to spay or neuter and vaccinate your pet for a co-pay of just $10. Pet owners wishing to seek assistance through this voucher program must hurry as supplies are limited and these vouchers are available on a first-come, first served-basis.           

After successfully completing the application process, the client will schedule an appointment for the services and a spay/neuter voucher will be issued and given to the client. Each voucher will cover the cost of surgery, the cost of rabies and distemper vaccines, pre-op & post-op pain control.

For hours the clinic is open, visit www.spca.org/villagefair. 

The Martin Clinic at Village Fair in South Dallas treats more than 21,000 animals each year, and serves pets whose owners are indigent and/or do not have the resources to provide for their pets' basic veterinary care. The SPCA of Texas is able to provide subsidized savings on clinic services thanks to the generosity of our donors and sponsors. This savings allows our clients to care for their pets using low-cost co-pays. 

It's estimated that one million homeless dogs and cats will end up in Texas animal shelters this year. Nationwide, more than four million companion animals are euthanized annually; many are puppies and kittens less than six months old. 

Every litter of puppies or kittens born contributes to the overwhelming statistics of animal overpopulation. The SPCA of Texas emphasizes that prevention -- spaying or neutering your pet -- is the best way to help curb the problem of pet overpopulation.

Further, vaccinations are a critical component of preventive care for cats and dogs.

This special offer (limited funding available) is made possible thanks to the Metroplex Animal Coalition.

(DALLAS, TX/McKINNEY, TX ); December 23, 2010—Oh, the weather outside is frightful, so bring your pets inside by nightfall!  Now that winter weather is finally here, please remember these important cold weather safety tips for your furry family members.

• During times of extreme low temperatures, all pets should be brought inside. A good rule of thumb is that if you're cold outside, your pet will be, too. Wet and cold weather can lead to hypothermia or pneumonia in animals. Be especially cautious with very young or very old animals, because they are more susceptible to suffering medical issues due to the cold. 
  
  
• The SPCA of Texas never recommends leaving pets outside full time; however, if pets must stay outside for extended periods of time, always weatherproof their living quarters. A dog's house should be dry, well insulated and retain heat. It should also be made up of three sides, a roof and a floor. The house should be elevated and the entrance pointed away from wind.  
  
  
• Pet owners often innocently assume their pets can withstand the cold weather with the aid of their thick coats; however, this is not always the case. Indoor dogs shed their undercoats and should never be made to stay outside for extended periods of time. Never shave your pets down to the skin in the winter; leave their coats long for more warmth. And when you bathe your pets, completely dry their coats before letting them go outdoors.
  
  
• Monitor the time your pets spend outdoors and be sure they always have fresh water to drink. Outdoor dogs need more calories in the winter to produce body heat, so increase the amount you feed your pets if they stay outdoors for long periods of time.
  
  
• Salt, antifreeze and other chemicals could hurt your pets if they ingest them while licking their paws, so be sure to wipe your pets' paws and legs clean with a wet cloth after an outing. Chemicals used to melt snow and ice can irritate paws and could potentially lead to frostbite, cuts or cracks. 
  
  
• Before starting your car, check to make sure there are no animals hiding in the exhaust pipe or under your tires. Cats and small animals may seek shelter near or under your car so be sure to look carefully and honk the horn before turning on the engine.
  
• Never leave your dog or cat alone in a car during cold weather. A car can act as a refrigerator in the winter, holding in the cold, and the animal could freeze to death.
  
  
• Keep your pets happy and healthy all year 'round by having them spayed or neutered, vaccinated and microchipped, and keep a collar with updated tags on them at all times. 

(QUINLAN, TX/DALLAS, TX); December 3, 2010--Under the authority of the Hunt County Constable’s office, the SPCA of Texas seized one dog who was abandoned on a property in Quinlan, TX. 

The SPCA of Texas received an anonymous tip that a dog was abandoned on a property by its owners. The complainant told an SPCA of Texas investigator that the owners originally left two dogs when they moved out three months ago, but shortly after they moved, they returned for one of the dogs and left the other behind with no access to food or water. The dog was in good condition thanks to a neighbor who was providing food, water and shelter for him.

An SPCA of Texas investigator visited the property several times and attempted to contact the owners without success. On December 2, 2010, an SPCA of Texas investigator along with the Hunt County Constable’s office visited the property and found no sign of the owners’ return. They concurred that it was in the dog’s best interest to obtain a warrant and remove him from the property immediately.  

The SPCA of Texas vehicle transported the dog to the Dealey Animal Care Center at 362 South Riverfront Blvd. in Dallas, TX 75207, where he will be examined by medical staff and cared for until the custody hearing.

The custody hearing will take place on Wednesday, December 9. 2010 at 9 a.m. at the Hunt County Justice of the Peace, Pct. 4 Courthouse at 112 E. Main St. in Quinlan, TX, Judge James H. Barnett presiding. 

If the SPCA of Texas is awarded custody of the dog, he will be evaluated for potential adoption or placement.

New Set, a Home Away from Home to Help Pets Find a “Home for the Holidays”

WHAT: The SPCA of Texas and NorthPark Center team up this holiday season for the 20^th annual, all new pet adoption pavilion. To celebrate this milestone, the SPCA of Texas is thrilled to announce NorthPark Center as the home in Dallas for all the SPCA of Texas’ adoptable dogs and cats this holiday season. Due to the overwhelming success of the adoption pavilion in years past, this year the Dealey Animal Care Center in downtown Dallas will serve as the hub for pets before they go up for adoption at NorthPark Center and will not be open for adoptions through Friday, December 25. The Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney and both SPCA of Texas clinics will operate as usual.

WHEN: The SPCA of Texas’ adoption pavilion at NorthPark Center will begin November 26, 2010 and go through December 24, 2010. The Adoption pavilion will be open from Noon to 6 p.m. Sunday through Friday, and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays. On Friday, December 24, hours are from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

WHERE: All of the SPCA of Texas’ adoptable dogs and cats will be available at NorthPark Center during the holidays. The adoption pavilion will be located in the main entrance hallway next to Victoria’s Secret, near Santa Claus.

WHY: For the past 20 years, the SPCA of Texas has partnered with NorthPark Center for what continues to be the most successful adoption event of the year. Every year, hundreds of homeless dogs and cats find their loyal, loving families at NorthPark Center, and this year will be no different.

HOW: Come to NorthPark Center and visit all the SPCA of Texas’ adoptable pets at the newly designed adoption pavilion. Hundreds of lovable, healthy, happy dogs and cats are waiting for their new families to come take them home for the holidays. Please visit www.spca.org for more information. To view adoptable pets, please visit www.spca.org/findapet.

(DALLAS, TX/McKINNEY,TX); November 8, 2010--The SPCA of Texas joins the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and animal welfare agencies across the country in honoring the invaluable roles shelters play in communities around the country during Shelter Appreciation Week, Sunday November 7 through Saturday, November 13, 2010.

The SPCA of Texas is the leading animal welfare agency in North Texas, serving nearly 68,000 pets and their people each year across eight counties. In recent years, shelters have experienced an overwhelming increase in pet surrenders due to the downturn of the economy.

“We understand that people are going through difficult times, and we want to be a resource for those who are no longer able to care for their pets,” said SPCA of Texas President, James Bias. “At the SPCA of Texas, the “clock is not ticking” for our animals because we are a reservation required shelter. We also transfer animals from other shelters to our facility so that we can help even more pets find homes.”

In just a few short months, the SPCA of Texas will be able to make an even bigger impact in the community. In June 2011, the SPCA of Texas will open a 49,000 sq. ft. new shelter which will be able to care for even more animals than the agency’s current Dealey Animal Care Center.

“The average stay for dogs at the SPCA of Texas is ten days, while the average stay for cats is 16 days,” states Bias. “Our goal for the new shelter is to create a bright, happy environment that will draw more families to the pets. At the same time, the new environment will be less stressful and healthier for the animals, so more pets will be available to meet new families, instead of undergoing treatment. We believe that animals will be adopted more quickly, so we may accept even more animals into our care. This new shelter is going to make a very big difference for animals and families in our community.”

Although shelters nationwide are being praised for their efforts, there is still only a small percent of pet owners who actually adopt from animal shelters.

“According to a national report, 70 percent of people support animal shelters and see them as a huge benefit to communities. And 55 percent agree that adopting is a more viable option than purchasing an animal from a breeder or pet store,” reports Ann Barnes, Vice President of Operations for the SPCA of Texas. “Yet only 20 percent of dogs and cats are actually adopted from shelters.”

The SPCA of Texas hopes to improve that statistic by promoting all the wonderful animals in its shelters with the help of their media partners. Each week, the SPCA of Texas spotlights five special animals on live, local television and radio programs, showcasing animals who are currently in need of loving homes. In addition, the agency presents a searchable database of adoptable pets on its website, www.spca.org.

This year, the SPCA of Texas will find homes for more than 7,000 animals.

Staff at Dealey Animal Care Center in Dallas

Staff at Perry Animal Care Center and Spay/Neuter & Wellness Clinic in McKinney

Staff at Martin Spay/Neuter & Wellness Clinic at Village Fair

Staff at Lone Star Campus

To help support the SPCA of Texas and its efforts to help abused, neglected and homeless animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at www.spca.org.

To help support the SPCA of Texas and its efforts to help abused, neglected and homeless animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at www.spca.org.

(HUNT COUNTY, TX); October 22, 2010 -- At a hearing today at the Hunt County Justice of the Peace, Pct.4 Courthouse in Quinlan, TX, Judge Hershey Barnett awarded custody of  42 dogs and 3 cats to the SPCA of Texas. Under the authority of the Hunt County Constable, Pct.4, the SPCA of Texas had seized the animals from a property in Hunt County on October, 15, 2010. Judge Barnett also awarded restitution in the amount of $10,399.13 to the SPCA of Texas. However, the SPCA of Texas does not expect to actually receive any of this money to help offset costs.



The hearing date and time, which had been scheduled for Thursday, October 21 at 3 p.m., was moved to today by the court. 



Texas state statute says that the owners have the right to appeal this court's decision within the next ten days. If no appeal is filed during that time, then the SPCA of Texas will begin the process of evaluating the animals for potential adoption or placement on a case by case basis.

The owners claim to be a rescue group and stated that they pulled many of the animals from local animal control facilities. Most of the animals suffered from intestinal parasites, severe hair loss and skin infections. Due to prolonged affects from cruel confinement, the animals have limited ability to extend their joints and muscles.

"I highly commend you for trying to rescue these stray animals, but I agree with you and most of the people in here that you were overwhelmed," said Judge Barnett after awarding the animals to the SPCA of Texas.

During their testimony, the owners claimed to love the animals like their own children, but they admitted they were in no place to rescue and that they were overwhelmed.

SPCA of Texas veterinarian Dr. Shawn Ashley was asked to describe the animals' medical conditions upon their arrival to the SPCA of Texas' Perry Animal Care Center.

"A lot of the dogs had severe hairloss and either Demodectic Mange or Sarcoptic Mange which can also be a public health concern," said Dr. Ashley. "Some of the dogs had open wounds on their sides and there was feces and urine caked on to the open wounds."

During her closing remarks, Dr. Ashley said, "In my opinion they were being cruelly confined, and they were not receiving the basic care they needed."

To view photos from the property, click the following link or copy and paste it into your browser: www.spca.org/huntcounty101510.

To view videos, click the following link or copy and paste it into your browser: http://www.spca.org/huntcounty101510_video.

The majority of the dogs had severe hair loss and were living in cruel confinement inside the residence on the property. The trailer the animals shared with the owner was feces-filled, urine-soaked and roach-infested. The ammonia level inside the residence was so strong -- 20 parts per million -- that the SPCA of Texas investigators' eyes and throat began burning immediately after they walked through the door. As a point of reference, short term exposure to any ammonia level over 20 ppm or long term exposure to any level over 12 ppm can cause health problems in humans.



Most of the dogs were confined to feces-filled, wire cages (some stacked on top of each other), while other dogs were loose inside the trailer. Two of the dogs were almost completely hairless, and were covered in scabs and bleeding, open wounds. One dog suffered from two broken legs while another dog had a deformed leg. The majority of the dogs were suffering from hair loss, eye discharge and skin infections.

The three kittens lived outside in a broken down car.

The SPCA of Texas received an anonymous complaint regarding concerns of animal cruelty. An SPCA of Texas investigator visited the property on Thursday, October 14 and discovered the animals' living conditions. The SPCA of Texas then contacted the Hunt County Constable, who agreed to accompany them to the property. After the Deputy Constable saw the animals' deplorable living conditions, he concurred with the SPCA of Texas that it was in the animals' best interest to obtain a warrant and remove them.

SPCA of Texas vehicles transported the animals to the Perry Animal Care Center at 8411 Stacy Road in McKinney, TX, where they were examined by medical staff and cared for until the custody hearing.

The SPCA of Texas was awarded custody of the animals, and they will be individually evaluated for potential adoption or placement on a case by case basis assuming the owners do not file an appeal.

Free and open to the public, the SPCA of Texas' Pet Grief Counseling Program meets at 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 6 (and the first Saturday of every month thereafter) at the SPCA of Texas' Dealey Animal Care Center located at 362 S. Riverfront Blvd. (S. Industrial Blvd.) in Dallas. 

Diane Pomerance, Ph.D., a SPCA of Texas volunteer and certified Grief Recovery Specialist, along with trained volunteers, administer the program incorporating grief support groups, one-on-one counseling, telephone counseling, volunteer education and training and more in a safe and supportive environment.

Ten years ago, there were very few (if any) resources in the Metroplex that could help someone adjust to the loss of a dearly loved pet. Dr. Pomerance developed this flagship program with the SPCA of Texas in response to that need.

WHERE: 

SPCA of Texas
362 S. Riverfront Blvd. (S. Industrial Blvd.), Dallas, TX
Location: Conference room (upstairs)

MORE INFO:  Pet Grief Helpline: 214-461-5131

(DALLAS, TX/McKinney, TX); October 18, 2010—With witches, goblins, Buzz Lightyear and Justin Bieber out on the prowl, remember to keep your pets’ safety in mind this Halloween.

The SPCA of Texas offers these reminders:

• Never give any candy to your pets! Even a small amount of chocolate can be fatal.  Make sure that all Halloween treats are in a high place where pets cannot reach them. If pets consume chocolate or candy, contact your vet immediately.
• Keep pets away from live flame decorations like candles and jack-o-lanterns, and restrict your pet’s access to hanging decorations such as streamers. Pets are curious and can become tangled or even choke if they chew on the decorations.
• Take extra precautions if you own a cat. Unfortunately, myths regarding cats and witches can put them in danger on Halloween. For peace of mind, keep kitties confined in a room, away from the front door.
• Pets may be terrified by tiny gremlins carrying big, orange, pumpkins full of sugar… wouldn’t you? If you have a protective dog who might feel threatened by strangers, keep him or her away from the door when trick-or-treaters arrive. Keep pets in a familiar place with lots of toys and soothing music to distract them from the doorbell.
• Don’t let the family dog accompany the kids on their trick-or-treat outing without parental guidance and supervision. Children may have a difficult time handling pets during the festivities and your pets may become spooked by all the commotion of Halloween.
• Make sure your pet’s Halloween costume includes a collar and identification tags, so you can be contacted if he does slip away.
• And of course, if the thought of more homeless, unwanted dogs and cats scares you, always remember the importance of spaying and neutering your pets.

For more information, log on to www.spca.org or call 214-742-SPCA (7722).

DALLAS, TX/McKINNEY, TX); October 12, 2010--Under the authority of the Dallas County Constable’s office, Precinct 1-2, the SPCA of Texas seized one horse from a property in Dallas, TX.

The horse appears to suffer from severely overgrown hooves due to lack of appropriate care. This condition is exceedingly painful and causes very limited mobility for the horse. The horse’s tail and mane are extremely matted. SPCA of Texas investigators report that the tail is so severely matted, that the horse can barely “swish” it due to the amount of debris build up.

Yesterday, SPCA of Texas Chief Investigator, Colby Grady, received a call from Dallas County Deputy Constable, Glen McGee, informing him of a horse that was down on a property in Dallas, TX.

Deputy Constable McGee and Chief Investigator Grady visited the property yesterday. Deputy Constable McGee spoke to the owner’s neighbor who stated that the owner comes by once a day to feed the horses and that is all. Deputy Constable McGee left notice for the owner to contact him immediately.

On October 12th, Deputy Constable McGee contacted Chief Investigator Grady, and advised that he had not heard from the owner. Deputy Constable McGee requested the assistance of the SPCA of Texas and stated that he would obtain a warrant to seize the animal from the property. Chief Investigator Grady agrees that it is in the animal’s best interest for a seizure warrant to be obtained and to remove the animal immediately.

The custody hearing will take place on Friday, October, 15 at 10 a.m. at the Dallas County Justice of the Peace, Pct.1-2 Courthouse at 107 Texas St. in Lancaster, TX, Judge Valencia Nash presiding. 

If the SPCA of Texas is awarded custody of the animal, it would be individually evaluated for potential adoption or placement.

To help the SPCA of Texas fund future efforts like this and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit http://www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at http://www.spca.org

Big Dogs Rule Promotion on Adoptions of Dogs 35 Pounds or More

(GREENVILLE, TX); September 21, 2010 -- Under the authority of the Hunt County Sheriff's Department, the SPCA of Texas seized 15 total animals, including eight dogs, three rabbits, two horses and two chickens -- from a property in Hunt County, TX on Tuesday, September 21, 2010.

The SPCA of Texas received an anonymous complaint regarding concerns of animal cruelty. An SPCA of Texas investigator subsequently visited the property and discovered the animals' conditions. The SPCA of Texas made several attempts to contact the owner, but the owner was unresponsive. Witnesses informed the SPCA of Texas that this owner's lack of providing basic care for the animals is an ongoing problem.

The SPCA of Texas and the Hunt County Sheriff's Department visited the property on Monday, September 20th, and at that time the Hunt County Sheriff's Department concurred with the SPCA of Texas that it was in the animals' best interest to obtain a warrant and remove the animals. Monday, September 20, 2010, was not the first time the Hunt County Sheriff's Department visited the property after receiving complaints of animal cruelty.

To help support the SPCA of Texas and its efforts to help abused, neglected and homeless animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at www.spca.org.

One Hartz Aqua Bizzy Ball will be included with each cat adoption in the month of September while supplies last at both the Dealey Animal Care Center in Dallas and the Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney. To see all pets for adoption, visit www.spca.org/findapet. Cats will love playing with this unique toy, and it will keep the whole family entertained for hours. Simply fill up the ball with water, and cats will be in awe as the lifelike plastic fish swims all around inside the ball as they bat it across the floor.

“We are so excited to promote The SPCA of Texas’ wonderful cats and kittens this month by adding this fun, entertaining toy to each cat adoption package,” said James Bias, SPCA of Texas President. “The Hartz Aqua Bizzy Ball will provide hours of playtime for a family and their new kitty, and it is a great way to bond and build a loving relationship with their new family member.”

Cats make fantastic pets for both families and individual owners because they are generally loving, affectionate, easy to please, playful, curious and independent. Over 100 cool cats from the Dealey Animal Care Center in Dallas and the Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney are waiting for loving homes.

The SPCA of Texas also emphasizes the importance of spaying and neutering all companion animals. In fact, all adoptable pets at the SPCA of Texas have already been spayed or neutered. Sadly, American shelters euthanize more than five million homeless dogs and cats every year, at a cost to taxpayers of more than $1 billion annually.

At the SPCA of Texas, the “clock” is not ticking for animals residing in the shelters. They are not euthanized to create space for more animals, and they do not have a limited time period at the shelters.

SPCA of Texas Adoption Counselors are very knowledgeable about all of the cats and kittens in their care, and they can help potential adopters find the perfect match for their families.

Save a life today, and adopt a cat from the SPCA of Texas and receive an exciting toy that cats will love!

Visit either of the two SPCA of Texas locations in Dallas or McKinney to take home a new furry feline friend. The SPCA of Texas’ shelters are open from noon to 6 p.m. seven days a week.

The fee to adopt a cat ranges from $50 to $125 and includes spay/neuter surgery, all age-appropriate vaccinations, rabies shot, a microchip, de-worming, a feline leukemia test for all cats over four months of age and a temporary carrier.

The SPCA of Texas’ two low-cost spay/neuter and wellness clinics perform the surgeries by appointment. For a list of prices, visit www.spca.org/clinicservices. Visit www.spca.org/spay to make a spay or neuter appointment online, or call 214-742-SPCA (7722) for more information or to make an appointment by phone. Appointments for all other wellness services must be made over the phone.

Remember, adopt a shelter cat and save a life. Have all of your pets spayed and neutered and save thousands of lives.

Sponsors Double Down to Help Homeless Animals, Recognize Advocates

The SPCA of Texas’ popular Fur Ball Gala is back for 2010 – this time as a glitzy Casino Night in the Khmer Pavilion at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas. On September 25, 2010, pet lovers and animal advocates will live it up Las Vegas style as they try their luck at both casino tables and a live auction, and shake it up to the music of LIVE 80. Of course, it wouldn't be Vegas without a lavish buffet, amazing magic and comedy – and even a visit from The King!

To contribute to the evening’s glamour, the SPCA of Texas will present Animal Legend Awards to The Rees-Jones Foundation, Fox 4 Television and indispensable volunteer, Tricia Linderman of Texas Capital Bank. The Animal Legend Award is presented to individuals or organizations that have made a great difference to the cause of animal welfare in Texas.

Event proceeds will help underwrite the SPCA of Texas’ programs to rescue, heal and find homes for thousands of North Texas animals in 2010. To up the ante for the animals, Fur Ball Committee volunteers have pulled in chips all across the state to snare one-of-a-kind packages for the live auction, including private poker parties, VIP sports tickets, vacations, nights on the town and gourmet food and wine. 

“What happens in Vegas benefits the SPCA of Texas this year!” laughs Fur Ball 2010 Chairman, David Hudson of Sewell Lexus. “Our annual Fur Ball is always successful, but this year’s casino theme really lets us double down on the fun. We are already seeing a surge of interest in sponsorships and table sales, and we’re betting on a sold-out event.” Early event sponsors include Hill’s Science Diet (Bellagio Sponsor), VCA Animal Hospital Companies (MGM Grand Sponsor), Sewell Automotive Companies and Simple Solutions (Mirage Sponsors), Authentix (Caesars Palace Sponsor) and AlphaGraphics at Market Center, Super Value Pharmacy and Blake Klement/Wells Fargo Advisors (New York, New York Sponsors). 

Hudson adds that sponsorships, tables and tickets are still available for high-rolling pet lovers. They can find out about donation levels and high-profile sponsor benefits by visiting www.spca.org/furball.

"Get your tickets early,” urges Hudson. “If you play your cards right, it’ll be a night to remember – for you and for thousands of lucky dogs and cats.”

HOW:               Visit www.spca.org/furball for more information and to purchase tickets.

WHEN:             Saturday, September 25; 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

WHERE:           Khmer Pavilion in the Hilton Anatole Dallas
                        2201 Stemmons Freeway at Market Center Boulevard 
                        Dallas 75207

                        Complimentary valet parking provided.

COST:              Individual tickets are $150 each. 
Table sponsorships are $1,500 each.

To help support the SPCA of Texas and its efforts to help abused, neglected and homeless animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at www.spca.org.

(Dallas, Texas) – Time Warner Cable is ushering in the “dog days of summer” by teaming up with the SPCA of Texas to showcase adoptable dogs and cats on its newest on demand feature, PAWS on Demand.

PAWS on Demand features short video clips of dogs and cats, as well as detailed information on adopting the pet through the SPCA of Texas’ locations across the Dallas area.

Digital Cable customers can view all adoptable pets on Paws on Demand for free by selecting On Demand with their remote control, then choosing North Texas on Demand. Inside the North Texas on Demand folder, picking Local Content accesses all of the adoptable dogs and cats on Paws on Demand.

North Texas on Demand allows customers to watch local, original programming for free, 24 hours a day. Customers can rewind, fast-forward and pause, all On Demand programs.

“We’re happy to be working with the SPCA of Texas to help reduce Dallas’ homeless pet population and find loving homes for these dogs and cats,” said Gary Underwood, vice president of communications, Time Warner Cable North Texas. “TWC’s North Texas on Demand is the home of exclusive local content like PAWS on Demand, area high school football, Texas travel programs and much more.”

• Keep your pets indoors with the air conditioner running and the windows closed or keep a radio on to help mask out as much noise as possible. Also try distracting them: follow their regular routine, play with them or crate them up until the fireworks are over. Make sure they have current tags and a microchip to ensure their safe return should they bolt out of fear.
  
• Heat is another reason to keep your pets indoors this summer. Also, be sure your pet has access to cool water at all times and never leave pets in parked vehicles.
  
• Be aware of neighborhood pranksters throwing firecrackers over your fence to frighten your pet. Also be careful using sparklers, as they can burn animals as well as people.
  
• Allow your pets the freedom to seek refuge under the bed, behind the toilet or in the back of the closet. This may soothe them more than cuddling with them.
  
• Your dog may not want to accompany you to the local fireworks extravaganza. He may prefer some nice quiet time in your lap after everything is over. Also, during the festivities, keep your dog busy with chew toys.
  
• If your pet gets especially stressed or your neighborhood is particularly noisy, you may wish to talk to your veterinarian about the practicality of using tranquilizers or homeopathic remedies. Consider sending your pet to a nice quiet boarding kennel for the worst of it.
  
• Even if the proper precautions are taken, some animals may develop deeply rooted fears of loud noises after fireworks displays or thunderstorms. Commonly seen effects include: shaking; trembling; excessive drooling; barking; howling; trying to hide or get into or out of the house, fence, or other enclosure; refusing to eat food; loss of bladder or bowel control or temporary diarrhea.
  
• The best way to treat this problem is through preventive conditioning, the process of desensitizing an animal to loud noises. Start by introducing your puppy or kitten to loud noises such as handclaps when they are relatively young. As the animal grows, softly bang pots and pans together and escalate the noise. Soon your dog or cat will not be traumatized by loud noises.

This Independence Day, keep your beloved companion animals indoors where it is safe.

The SPCA of Texas is the leading animal welfare agency in North Texas with two shelters and two spay/neuter clinics located in Dallas and McKinney, and serves as an active resource center providing an array of programs and services that bring people and animals together to enrich each others' lives. A comprehensive animal welfare agency, the SPCA of Texas is not affiliated with any other entity and does not receive general operating funds from the City of Dallas, State of Texas, federal government or any other humane organization.

Under the authority of the Fannin County Sheriff's Department, the SPCA of Texas seized 65 dogs and 10 cats and kittens today from a property in Leonard, TX.

To download photos from the scene today, please right click on the following link or copy and paste it into a browser: http://www.spca.org/FanninCounty052110.

Many of the dogs were being cruelly confined on teathers outdoors and inside a residence on the property. The residence is unlivible and the people staying on the property were living in tents. About half of the dogs are underweight and several dogs have untreated open wounds on their ears. One third of the dogs had eye discharge and one dog was missing an ear. The cats and kittens are emaciated and the kittens are in need of immediate veterinary care. Some of the cats were loose in the house and others were in crates in the garage. One crate in the garage held the mother cat and her kittens and the other crate held a cat without food, water or a litter box.

Additionally, one cat, several kittens, and what looked like other dogs and cats had been burned in two of the several burn piles on the property. 

The location of today's seizure is the residence of James "Soaring Eagle" Vonda, the manager of Domestic Animal Rescue Shelter Service (DARESS). The group previously had a contract with the city of Ferris to handle the city's adoptions. Two months ago, there were aligations of animal cruelty at the shelter concerning the animals that  Mr. Vonda was responsible for. Before the SPCA of Texas could even initiate an investigation, Mr. Vonda claimed to have moved the dogs to Oklahoma. Today, Mr. Vonda admitted that at least 40 of the dogs found on the property were moved from the Ferris city animal shelter.

The SPCA of Texas received an anonymous tip late this morning regarding the animals' conditions. An SPCA of Texas investigator visited the property with the Leonard Police Department and the Fannin County Sheriff's Department and found the animals in severe cruel conditions. The Fannin County Sheriff's Department concurred with the SPCA of Texas that it was in the animals' best interest to obtain a warrant and remove the animals immediately.   

SPCA of Texas vehicles transported the animals to the Perry Animal Care Center at 8411 Stacy Road/FM 720 in McKinney, TX 75070, where they will be examined by medical staff and cared for until the custody hearing.

The custody hearing will take place on Friday, May 28 at 10 a.m. at the Fannin County Justice of the Peace, Pct. 2 Courthouse at 111 W. Collins St. in Leonard, TX, Judge Alan Hale presiding. 

If the SPCA of Texas is awarded custody of the animals, they would be individually evaluated for potential adoption or placement on a case by case basis.

To help the SPCA of Texas fund future efforts like this and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit http://www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit our website at http://www.spca.org.

__________________________________________________________________________

(KEMP, TX); April 27, 2010 -- In Kemp, TX, Kaufman County Justice of the Peace, Pct. 4 Johnny Adams awarded custody of 39 cruelly treated cats, six horses, three dogs and two squirrels seized under the authority of the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department on Thursday, April 22, 2010 to the SPCA of Texas. Judge Adams also awarded restitution in the amount of $8,697 to the SPCA of Texas. However, the SPCA of Texas does not expect to actually receive any of this money to help offset costs.

"This is a lot of animals for any one person to care for and do it correctly," said Judge Adams. "It is easy to get overwhelmed, especially with this many animals. These horses have not been able to get sun and exercise outside. The cat problem is what got me most concerned, but the condition of the stalls also had me concerned."  

Texas state statute says that the owner has a right to appeal this court's decision within the next ten days. If no appeal is filed during that time, then the SPCA of Texas will begin the process of individually evaluating the animals for potential adoption or placement on a case by case basis.

To view photos from the seizure, please visit http://www.spca.org/kaufmananimals042210.

The cats were being cruelly confined, locked inside a 10' x 10' room inside a barn on the property. The floor of this room was coated in feces and urine and the air was thick with the stench of ammonia. The ammonia level in the room in the barn where the cats were kept was 27 parts per million. As a frame of reference, short term exposure to any ammonia level over 25 parts per million will cause health issues in humans. The cats were suffering from eye and ear discharge, some had various types of moderate to severe injuries and most were thin.

Inside that same barn, the horses were found standing in stalls that had a significant buildup of feces, and were also cruelly confined. It was apparent that the horses were always kept in their filthy, feces-filled stalls and never let out. Their hooves were long and cracked.

Two of the dogs lived in the barn and one was housed in the residence on the property.

Also inside the residence on the property were two wild squirrels that had apparently been kept as pets, several cats kept in cages and cats roaming free. The residence was filled with furniture, garbage and strewn with feces throughout. In one bedroom in the house, where the caged cats were kept, the ammonia level was 42 parts per million.

The SPCA of Texas received anonymous complaints about the animals' conditions. After the first complaint, an SPCA of Texas investigator visited the property and observed the horses, two dogs and one cat on the property. Though the owner was unable to remove blankets that covered the horses so that the investigator could evaluate their condition, arrangements were made for the investigator to return at a later date to view the horses without the blankets on. The animals on the property all appeared to have food, water and shelter. When the investigator returned for the scheduled follow-up, the owner refused to let the investigator on the property.

After receiving another complaint, the SPCA of Texas investigator again visited the property and discovered the approximately 30 cats cruelly confined in a room in the barn. The investigator attempted to outline a compliance agreement with the owner to bring the animals' conditions into accordance with state statute, but the owner refused. At that point, the SPCA of Texas contacted the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department with the new information. After reviewing the case, the Sheriff's Department concurred with the SPCA of Texas that it was in the animals' best interest to remove them from the property.

SPCA of Texas vehicles transported the animals to the Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney, TX on April 22, where they were examined by medical staff and cared for until the custody hearing.

To help the SPCA of Texas fund future rescues like this and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit www.spca.org.

The SPCA of Texas is the leading animal welfare agency in North Texas with two shelters and two spay/neuter clinics located in Dallas and McKinney, and serves as an active resource center providing an array of programs and services that bring people and animals together to enrich each others' lives. A comprehensive animal welfare agency, the SPCA of Texas is not affiliated with any other entity and does not receive general operating funds from the City of Dallas, State of Texas, federal government or any other humane organization.

(FORNEY, TX); April 28, 2010--Today in Forney, TX, Kaufman County Justice of the Peace, Pct. 2 Don Cates awarded custody of 3 abandoned dogs seized under the authority of the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department on Tuesday, April 20, 2010 from a property northeast of Terrell, TX to the SPCA of Texas.

Texas state statute says that the owner has a right to appeal this court's decision within the next ten days. If no appeal is filed during that time, then the SPCA of Texas will begin the process of individually evaluating the animals for potential adoption or placement on a case by case basis.

To download photos of this seizure, visit www.spca.org/kaufmandogs042010.

The dogs had been abandoned in a trailer on the property for an unknown period of time. All of the dogs have long nails and one dog has hair loss. The inside of the trailer where the dogs were being housed was packed with furniture, other miscellaneous household items and garbage, and was covered in feces and urine. The sub-flooring was missing or rotted out in many places and the windows were covered with foil and sheets.

Adult Protective Services contacted the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Department and the SPCA of Texas after the person living at the property was removed to a hospital. An SPCA of Texas investigator visited the property, began attempting to contact family or friends of the animal owner by leaving door tags requesting a telephone call and began bringing food to the dogs. When no one came forward to claim the dogs, the SPCA of Texas contacted the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Department. After reviewing the case, the Sheriff’s Department concurred with the SPCA of Texas that it was in the animals' best interest to remove them from the property.

SPCA of Texas vehicles transported the dogs to the Dealey Animal Care Center in Dallas, TX on April 20, where they were examined by medical staff and cared for until the custody hearing.

To help the SPCA of Texas fund future rescues like this and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit www.spca.org.

The SPCA of Texas is the leading animal welfare agency in North Texas with two shelters and two spay/neuter clinics located in Dallas and McKinney, and serves as an active resource center providing an array of programs and services that bring people and animals together to enrich each others' lives. A comprehensive animal welfare agency, the SPCA of Texas is not affiliated with any other entity and does not receive general operating funds from the City of Dallas, State of Texas, federal government or any other humane organization.

(McKINNEY, TX); April 28, 2010--The SPCA of Texas' animal shelter and clinic in McKinney, Texas will host a gardening work day on Saturday, May 1 to prepare the front section of the campus for a garden and trails. A confirmation class of 40 sixth-graders and their parents from Stonebridge United Methodist Church will help construct dog-walking trails and decorative garden areas for the Russell H. Perry campus.

John and Joyce Webb of McKinney have made a very generous pledge to underwrite the construction of the garden. Joyce Webb has volunteered at the SPCA of Texas’ Russell H. Perry campus for many years, and is eager to provide a safe and attractive area for volunteers to interact with the adoptable dogs and for prospective new owners to play with dogs before taking them home.

“This garden will be the best thing in the world for our dogs who are waiting to be adopted,” said SPCA of Texas President, James Bias. “Not only will they get plenty of fresh air and exercise, the dogs will become better socialized and relaxed. When their new owners adopt them, they’ll bring home a happy, healthy new member of the family. We are very grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Webb for this very generous and thoughtful gift.”

The garden’s design was donated by McKinney resident Maria Birchette. In addition to Birchette’s and Stonebridge United Methodist Church’s contributions, the SPCA of Texas has benefited from the partnership of Neil Sperry and McKinney Crape Myrtle Trails, who have agreed to install 200 crape myrtle trees on the Russell H. Perry campus.

Not only is the Webb family responsible for the vision and funding of the new garden, but their contributions will also allow for restoration of the already existing outdoor play area. The installation of field turf in that area will provide a cleanable, mud-free place for adoptable dogs to romp, rain or shine.

Built in 2002, the Russell H. Perry Campus in McKinney is home to the Phoebe S. Perry Animal Care Center, the Perry Spay/Neuter & Animal Wellness Clinic, the Perry Livestock Barn and the Lynn T. & Russell E. Dealey Life Care Cottage. The Russell H. Perry Campus in McKinney serves more than 24,000 animals a year.

WHERE:  SPCA of Texas’ Perry Animal Care Center
               8411 Stacy Rd. 75070
               McKinney, TX 75224

WHEN:   May 1, 2010
              8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The SPCA of Texas is dedicated to providing every animal exceptional care and a loving home.  A comprehensive animal welfare agency, the SPCA of Texas is not affiliated with any other entity and does not receive general operating funds from the City of Dallas, State of Texas, federal government, the ASPCA or any other humane organization. Help stop pet overpopulation by donating to the SPCA of Texas and by spaying and/or neutering your pet. Visit us online at www.spca.org.

(KAUFMAN COUNTY, TX, McKINNEY, TX); April 22, 2010--Under the authority of the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department, the SPCA of Texas seized 39 cruelly confined cats, six horses, three dogs and two squirrels from a property in Mabank, TX today. A custody hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, April 27 at 11:30 a.m. at the Kaufman County Justice of the Peace, Pct. 4 Courthouse at 103 N. Main St. in Kemp, TX.

To view photos from today's seizure, please visit www.spca.org/kaufmananimals042210.

The cats were being cruelly confined, locked inside a 10' x 10' room inside a barn on the property. The floor of this room was coated in feces and urine and the air was thick with the stench of ammonia. The ammonia level in the room in the barn where the cats were kept was 27 parts per million. As a frame of reference, short term exposure to any ammonia level over 25 parts per million will cause health issues in humans. The cats were suffering from eye and ear discharge, some had various types of moderate to severe injuries and most were thin.

Inside that same barn, the horses were found standing in stalls that had a significant buildup of feces, and were also cruelly confined. It is apparent that the horses were always kept in their filthy, feces-filled stalls and never let out. Their hooves were long and cracked.

Two of the dogs lived in the barn and one was housed in the residence on the property.

Also inside the residence on the property were two wild squirrels that had apparently been kept as pets, several cats kept in cages and cats roaming free. The residence was filled with furniture, garbage and strewn with feces throughout. In one bedroom in the house, where the caged cats were kept, the ammonia level was 42 parts per million.

The SPCA of Texas received anonymous complaints about the animals' conditions. After the first complaint, an SPCA of Texas investigator visited the property and observed the horses, two dogs and one cat on the property. Though the owner was unable to remove blankets that covered the horses so that the investigator could evaluate their condition, arrangements were made for the investigator to return at a later date to view the horses without the blankets on. The animals on the property all appeared to have food, water and shelter. When the investigator returned for the scheduled follow-up, the owner refused to let the investigator on the property.

After receiving another complaint, the SPCA of Texas investigator again visited the property and discovered the approximately 30 cats cruelly confined in a room in the barn. The investigator attempted to outline a compliance agreement with the owner to bring the animals' conditions into accordance with state statute, but the owner refused. At that point, the SPCA of Texas contacted the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department with the new information. After reviewing the case, the Sheriff's Department concurred with the SPCA of Texas that it was in the animals' best interest to remove them from the property.

SPCA of Texas vehicles transported the animals to the Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney, TX today, where they will be examined by medical staff and cared for until the custody hearing.

If the SPCA of Texas is awarded custody of the animals, they would be individually evaluated for potential adoption or placement on a case by case basis.

To help the SPCA of Texas fund future rescues like this and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit www.spca.org.

(KAUFMAN COUNTY, TX, DALLAS, TX); April 20, 2010--Under the authority of the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department, the SPCA of Texas seized three abandoned dogs from a property northeast of Terrell, TX today.

A custody hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday, April 28 at 10 a.m. at the Kaufman County Justice of the Peace, Pct. 2 Courthouse located at 200 E. Main St. in Forney, TX, Judge Don Cates presiding.

To download photos of this seizure, visit www.spca.org/kaufmandogs042010.

The dogs had been abandoned in a trailer on the property for an unknown period of time. All of the dogs have long nails and one dog has hair loss. The inside of the trailer where the dogs were being housed is packed with furniture, other miscellaneous household items and garbage, and was covered in feces and urine. The sub-flooring was missing or rotted out in many places and the windows were covered with foil and sheets.

Adult Protective Services contacted the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Department and the SPCA of Texas after the person living at the property was removed to a hospital. An SPCA of Texas investigator visited the property, began attempting to contact family or friends of the animal owner by leaving door tags requesting a telephone call and began bringing food to the dogs. When no one came forward to claim the dogs, the SPCA of Texas contacted the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Department. After reviewing the case, the Sheriff’s Department concurred with the SPCA of Texas that it was in the animals' best interest to remove them from the property.

SPCA of Texas vehicles transported the dogs to the Dealey Animal Care Center in Dallas, TX, where they will be examined by medical staff and cared for until the custody hearing.

If the SPCA of Texas is awarded custody of the animals, they would be individually evaluated for potential adoption or placement on a case by case basis.

To help the SPCA of Texas fund future rescues like this and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals. To learn more about the SPCA of Texas, please visit www.spca.org.

The SPCA of Texas will host an Open House at its Martin Spay & Neuter Clinic on Wednesday, April 28th, to showcase the completed renovations to the South Dallas veterinary clinic, which treats more than 21,000 animals each year. The public is invited to take a tour of the clinic located at 4830 Village Fair Drive from 3-6 p.m. 

The renovations were made possible through generous contributions of funding, materials and services by SPCA of Texas Board member Mary Spencer, Adleta Supply, the Margot W. and Ben H. Mitchell Fund of Communities Foundation of Texas, The Holman Foundation, among many others. The Martin Spay & Neuter Clinic is also the recipient of funds generated each year by the volunteers of Paws Cause.

The improved facilities will greatly enhance the SPCA of Texas’ ability to provide care to animals in the traditionally underserved neighborhoods of South Dallas. The Martin Spay & Neuter clinic provides low-cost wellness services such as vaccinations and heartworm treatments, and accepts MAC (Metroplex Animal Coalition) coupons which enable pet owners with incomes less than $35,000 to receive free spay/neuter surgeries for their pets. 

It is estimated that one million homeless dogs and cats will end up in Texas animal shelters this year. Many are puppies and kittens less than six months old – the products of unwanted litters. In 1976, the SPCA of Texas was the first organization in the state to provide affordable spay/neuter surgeries to combat the heartbreaking problem of unwanted litters, and it continues to play a major role in reducing pet overpopulation in the Metroplex.

WHERE:  SPCA of Texas’ Martin Spay & Neuter Clinic and Animal Wellness Center at Village Fair
               4830 Village Fair Drive  
               Dallas 75224

WHEN:   Wednesday April 28, 2010
               3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The SPCA of Texas is dedicated to providing every animal exceptional care and a loving home.  A comprehensive animal welfare agency, the SPCA of Texas is not affiliated with any other entity and does not receive general operating funds from the City of Dallas, State of Texas, federal government, the ASPCA or any other humane organization. Help stop pet overpopulation by donating to the SPCA of Texas and by spaying and/or neutering your pet. Visit us online at www.spca.org.

Calling all dogs, cats and dog and cat lovers!

WHAT: Calling all dogs, cats and dog and cat lovers. The SPCA of Texas is extending an open call for pet-related films produced by all new or established filmmakers or pet enthusiasts with an eye for cinema. If you have a Hollywood hound, celebrity cat, Broadway birdie or any pet itching for the red carpet, get that adorable face on film, and enter the VCA Animal Hospital Companies’ Pet Flix Film Festival 2010 presented by Hill's Science Diet  benefiting the SPCA of Texas. 

We’re showcasing short films, home videos, documentaries–even music videos made by pet lovers. You and your pet could trot, fly, slink or slither away with a cash prize!

All entries must be received by May 7, 2010. Submit your pet-related film of any type to the Pet Flix Film Festival 2010 for a chance to win cash prizes. 

The winner of Best Overall Picture will receive a cash prize of $1,500! The Best Short Tail and Best Long Tail winners will each receive cash prizes of $250. The Short Tail features are up to four minutes and 59 seconds, and the Long Tail features are from five to ten minutes.

Buy tickets today! The winners’ films will premiere at the Pet Flix Film Festival 2010. This event will take place at the Studio Movie Grill on Royal Lane in Dallas on Sunday, June 6, 2010 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.  Event tickets are now available for $15 and can be purchased by visiting http://www.petflix.org/.

Rick O'Bryan of Radio Sponsor Mix 102.9 will emcee the fun-filled evening and celebrity judges will choose the winning films that evening.

All event proceeds will benefit the programs and services of the SPCA of Texas. Sponsorships are also available.

For sponsorship opportunities, to purchase tickets and for full contest rules, visit http://www.petflix.org/ or call 214.742.SPCA (7722).

WHERE:  Studio Movie Grill at Royal Lane
               11170 N. Central Expy., Dallas, TX. 75243
               http://www.petflix.org/

WHEN:   Deadline for entry: Friday, May 7, 2010 (film entry fee: $10) 
              Pet Flix Film Festival 2010: Sunday, June 6, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.  
              Event tickets: $15 each

The SPCA of Texas is dedicated to providing every animal exceptional care and a loving home.  A comprehensive animal welfare agency, the SPCA of Texas is not affiliated with any other entity and does not receive general operating funds from the City of Dallas, State of Texas, federal government, the ASPCA or any other humane organization. Help stop pet overpopulation by donating to the SPCA of Texas and by spaying and/or neutering your pet. Visit us online at www.spca.org.