The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has chosen the winners of the second annual 2003 ASPCA/Chase Pet Protectors Award.
The contest, sponsored by the Home Equity division of Chase Home Finance, (Home Finance business of JPMorgan Chase. & Co., NYSE: JPM.), was designed with the goal of learning more about progressive and innovative techniques that animal welfare organizations are using to protect our nation's pets against animal cruelty and neglect.
Over 120 entries were submitted resulting in monetary awards in the amount of: $10,000 for the grand prize, $7,500 for first prize, $5,000 for second prize, $3,000 for third prize, and three runner-up prizes in the amount of $1,500 each.
"The ASPCA/Chase Pet Protectors Award serves as a wonderful opportunity for animal welfare organizations to be recognized for their hard work, share their experience and knowledge with other animal welfare professionals and receive funding to support their exceptional efforts to protect animals," comments Julie Morris, Senior Vice President of the ASPCA National Shelter Outreach Program.
"Home Equity chose to sponsor the Pet Protectors Award because it recognizes and supports the excellent work done by animal welfare organizations throughout the country," comments Fran Libretto-Ward, Director of Marketing for the Home Equity division of Chase Home Finance.
This year's grand prize went to Georgia Legal Professionals for Animals (GLPA), a volunteer group based in Atlanta and comprised of legal professionals who utilize a number of methods to fight cruelty in Georgia.
By offering pro bono legal services for animals and their guardians, creating a manual entitled "How to Prosecute Animal Cruelty From Start to Finish" and presenting its content to animal control officers across Georgia, GLPA works tirelessly to promote increased awareness of the humane treatment of animals.
Their goal is to reach greater numbers of law enforcement officials, veterinarians, court officers and attorneys to help catch and prosecute as many animal abuse offenders as possible.
The other award honorees include:
Dogs Deserve Better (DDB) (Tipton, PA) - First Prize - $7,500 DDB is an organization working to get dogs off chains, out of pens and into the family.
In many cases, the law does nothing for these dogs, merely providing the barest of essentials: housing and a six-foot chain.
DDB educates the public through widespread campaigns and inspires those who see the cruelty inherent in continuous chaining and penning to change the laws to improve these dogs' lives.
More information about Dogs Deserve Better can be found at www.dogsdeservebetter.com.
Rondout Valley Animals for Adoption (Accord, NY) Second Prize Winner - $5,000 "Lug Nuts" is an inner -city program created as a response to the increasing problems communities are encountering with the illegal and inhumane practice of dog fighting.
Despite the success of spay/neuter in many parts of the nation, "muscle breed" dogs such as Pit Bulls and Rottweilers, are being bred in proliferation in urban areas and often used for dog fighting and sparring.
Lug Nuts organizes and hosts informal weight-pulling contests; dogs are fitted with padded pulling harnesses and are hooked up to sleds loaded up with bags of dog food, which make great prizes afterwards.
This program has made great strides in replacing dog fighting in urban communities with a positive, humane form of competition that strengthens the human-dog bond.
More information about Lug Nuts can be found at www.suesternberg.com.
San Diego Humane Society and SPCA (San Diego, CA) Third Prize Winner - $3,000 The Investigative Serve Specialist (ISS) program is the newest innovation from the San Diego Humane Society's Law Enforcement and Investigations Department.
This first-of-its kind volunteer-based task force utilizes the expertise of trained volunteers to respond to basic-level calls and recognize animal crimes, thus allowing the officers to prioritize their calls and respond more immediately to major cases of abuse and neglect.
More information about this program can be found at www.sdhumane.org.
Place-a-Pet Foundation (Cleveland, OH) Runner Up - $1,500 This organization, having formed only two years ago, has begun a publicity and national awareness program to help educate the public about animal welfare issues.
They created "Pet Craze," a television show aimed at promoting adoption and humane principles and educating the public about animal abuse.
They also enlisted the help of humane agencies across the country to designate March 2004 as "Respect the Pet" month.
More information about this program can be found at www.placeapetfoundation.org.
Cobb County Animal Control (Marietta, GA) Runner Up - $1,500 One of last year's winners, Cobb County continues to be proactive in the investigation of animal cruelty cases.
They have expanded their anti-cruelty program by compiling a comprehensive Cruelty Investigation Manuel, joined forces with a multi-agency task force to identify those who are not properly caring for their animals and have utilized the media to increase public awareness of animal cruelty and care.
More about Cobb County's efforts can be found at www.cobbanimalcontrol.org.
Wisconsin Humane Society (Milwaukee, WI) Runner Up - $1,500 WHS has developed a multi-faceted network to prevent and respond to violence against animals.
With WHS as a bridge, community members join with other law enforcement agencies forming a coalition working from many different angles to combat animal abuse-from classroom curriculum development to conflict mediation to lobbying for stronger laws.
More on this program can be found at www.wihumane.org.
For more information, or to contact American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, see their website at: www.aspca.org
