Heritage of Care: The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Founded in 1866, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was the nation's first animal welfare organization. The society had its origins in the fervor for social reform that characterized the era following the Civil War. Its founder, Henry Bergh, organized the ASPCA because of his abhorrence of injustice -- personally, he was never especially interested in animals. The society's agents--known in the early years as Bergh's men--were empowered to enforce the law throughout the state. Bergh used the media to advance his cause, and many of the issues that he confronted were covered in the press. Heritage of Care brings these early efforts to life again.

After Bergh's death, the ASPCA's original mission to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals drew committed men and women to continue the work. From 1894 to 1994, the ASPCA handled animal control for New York City, changing the image of dog pounds to animal shelters by introducing the concept of a professional staff. And just as Bergh preached kindness to children in the orphanages of old New York, his successors instilled caring attitudes through the new medium of television, and later through the Internet. Heritage of Care brings the society's work up-to-date. It is an insider's look at Bergh's men and Bergh's women of the twenty-first century.

Marion S. Lane is Special Projects Editor in the National Program Office of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The former editor of ASPCA Animal Watch and Pure-Bred Dogs/American Kennel Gazette, she has written dozens of personal essays and feature articles on pets as well as four nonfiction books on dogs. She is the recipient of awards for both writing and editing from the Dog Writers Association of America, the Society of National Association Publications and folio: magazine.

Stephen L. Zawistowski is Executive Vice President and Science Advisor of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, where he currently oversees the ASPCA’s National Programs. Dr. Z. is a certified applied animal behaviorist who chairs the Animal Behavior Society’s Board of Professional Certification and is a frequent speaker on animal behavior, the history of sheltering, humane education, and the use of statistics in program management. A founding editor of the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, Adjunct Professor of clinical medicine at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, and member of National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council Committees to review the National Zoo and revise guidelines on distress in laboratory animals, he also co-edited Shelter Medicine for Veterinarians and Staff.