June 24, 2008

Pennsylvania SPCA officers are sworn as part of the state's largest push for more animal cruelty law enforcement. (Photo Courtesy of PA SPCA)

PHILADELPHIA -- The Pennsylvania SPCA last week swore in eight new humane officers, spearheading the biggest expansion in state history in the fight against animal abuse.

The agency has more than doubled its roster of officers to 14, according to Elaine Skypala, chief programs officer for the Philadelphia-based PSPCA.

The expansion was needed after the state launched its 24-hour, state-wide, toll-free anti-cruelty hotline last January, Skypala says.

“When we put the 24-hour hotline in, we realized that a lot of places, a lot of counties, say that they have agents, humane agents, that can go out there and make arrests and get warrants,” Skypala said.

“But when you try to call them, you find that after hours the shelter is closed, there’s no way to get a hold of them. You can’t get a hold of them on weekends.

“So we realized that not only does Philadelphia have a lot going on, but all these other counties have things going on where there’s nobody to come out and look at the case.”

There are now humane agents working in every Pennsylvania county, Skypala says.

“If there’s another humane society that has an agent in that area that’s able to go out and do calls, then we would be secondary,” she said. “We would only be called in if there was some reason that they could not handle the case.

“But if for some reason they’re unable to go out, we would take over the case and be primary in those counties.”

Other police agencies can handle animal cruelty cases but sometimes they are unknowledgeable about what constitutes cruelty, so they are often reluctant to act, Skypala says.

The anti-cruelty hotline, 1-866-601-SPCA, is always manned, increasing the number of calls being received to report cruelty, according to Skypala.

“We’re getting over 500 calls a month, and there are still people that are calling their local humane societies,” she said. “We’ve seen a great increase.”

Pennsylvania offers a course to become eligible to be a humane agent. One part of its exam deals with farm animals, the other with legal regulations. The SPCA is working to have that test offered twice annually instead of once as it presently, through the state Department of Agriculture, Skypala says.

The eight new agents, Skypala says, come from a variety of professional backgrounds.

“But I think the biggest quality that we see in these people that we appreciate so much is that they are available at all times,” she said. “It’s not like any call comes in too late at night, or way early in the a.m. that they’re not willing to go out.”

One given for all humane agents, Skypala says, is their passion for the job.

“Because they really want to help animals,” she said. “They really care about animals. It’s not just a job where you say, ‘Well these are the minimum requirements.’

“They’re out there looking at what’s going on and saying, ‘This is absolutely horrible. Animals are being treated in a way that no animal should ever be treated.’

“So it’s the compassion. It’s the dedication to follow through to really be angry that somebody has let this happen to an animal.”

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