ASPCA Gives Thanks to Response Partners for Helping Animals Victims of Cruelty and Disasters

NEW YORK--The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) today announced it will provide eight animal welfare groups each with a $10,000 grant to recognize their efforts for going above and beyond to save animal victims of cruelty or natural disasters this year.

Each group is part of the ASPCA's Response Partner Program, a network of animal welfare organizations from across the country that assists the ASPCA Field Investigations and Response team by providing qualified personnel and services to respond to cruelty investigations and natural disasters. The network also helps the ASPCA's field operations by taking in animals and placing them into permanent homes.

Among the 173 animal welfare and rescue groups in ASPCA's Response Partnership network, the following groups have been recognized for their outstanding efforts in 2011:

• Columbia-Greene Humane Society in Hudson, N.Y.;
• Dumb Friends League in Denver, Colo.;
• St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center in Madison, N.J.;
• Washington Animal Rescue League in Washington, D.C.;
• Spay and Neuter Kansas City in Kansas City, Mo.;
• Wayside Waifs in Kansas City, Mo.;
• Charleston Animal Society in North Charleston, S.C.; and
• Humane Society of Broward County in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

"The ASPCA wanted to thank those agencies that helped us make it possible to do our life-saving work, especially in communities that were affected by devastating disasters this year," said Jessica Rushin, partnerships manager for the ASPCA Field Investigations and Response team. "We work collaboratively with numerous agencies on cruelty cases and disaster response operations, and these agencies have stepped up to the plate and done an exceptional job by dedicating resources, time and personnel to help us in the field. We are grateful for their assistance and look forward to saving countless more animals in the New Year."

Each of the grant recipients were selected based on the following criteria: taking in a significant number of animals from cruelty cases and disasters and placed into permanent homes; deploying multiple response teams to assist the ASPCA with operations in the field; and providing spay/neuter services and personnel to assist disaster and cruelty victims. All of these agencies have made immense contributions to the ASPCA's disaster relief efforts this year, including the catastrophic tornadoes in Joplin, Mo. and Tuscaloosa, Ala., and severe flooding in Memphis, Tenn., Caruthersville, Mo., and Binghamton, N.Y.

In addition to this year's devastating disasters, the ASPCA Field Investigations and Response team has responded to major events like Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008 and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. The ASPCA is commonly called upon by state and municipal governments and other animal welfare agencies to lend expertise during large-scale animal rescue operations. This year alone, the ASPCA has assisted more than 20,000 animals in communities throughout the U.S. that were devastated by tornadoes, flooding and storms.