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ASPCA is found by Henry Bergh
With his flair for drama he convinced politicians and committees of his purpose, and the charter incorporating the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was passed on April 10, 1866. Nine days later, an anti-cruelty law was passed, and the ASPCA granted the right to enforce it. -
Ancient Dog fighting
Canines seemed to be most cruelly exploited as prize fighters. As the headline in an article appearing in the Long Island Star, December 8, 1876, read, "Two Bull Dogs Chew Each Other Up." Attended by prominent betting men, the $1,000 championship fight lasted nearly four hours. -
Most states enacted the anti-cruelty laws
By the time of Bergh's death in 1888, the idea that animals should be protected from cruelty had touched America's heart and conscience. Humane societies had sprung up throughout the nation—among the first to follow New York's lead were Buffalo, Boston and San Francisco—and 37 of 38 states in the union had enacted anti-cruelty laws. Working for legislation continues to be one of our foremost priorities. -
The people know
The public was so pleased with the ASPCA’s performance that in 1895 the law was amended and a second shelter established in Brooklyn, followed by one in Staten Island. Brooklyn's Sunday Advertiser, May 12, 1895, reported that "The business is now conducted on kind and merciful principles, and even the "Wandering Willie" of dodgem will be treated with consideration...." If an animal went unclaimed, a more humane method of euthanasia, suffocation via gas chamber, was implemented. Cats were written -
Hospital opened
Setting the pace for others, the ASPCA opened a hospital for animals in 1912. ASPCA doctors helped develop the use of anesthesia in 1918; that same year, they operated on a horse with a broken kneecap—a procedure considered a mere possibility at the time. In 1954, the hospital added pathology and radiograph laboratories, and in 1961 ASPCA veterinarians performed their first open-heart surgery on a dog. -
Animals are living longer
Between the 1950s and 1960s, pet care in America had made so much progress that the average life expectancy of cats and dogs had increased by two to three years. According to Andrew Rowan, Ph.D., director of Tufts University Medical School's Center for Animals and Public Policy, "Pet ownership as we know it today is a post-World War II phenomenon." Canned food made it easier for many people to keep animals; cat ownership increased tremendously with the development of kitty litter. -
People want dogs and cats
This trend helped to change the focus of the Society's work, and sheltering and adopting programs were greatly expanded. In 1896, 654 dogs and 163 cats were adopted from ASPCA shelters; now that number is annually in the thousands. -
They are sick
Until the mid-20th century, diseases such as distemper and panleukopenia cost countless animals their lives, but advances in preventive medicine helped change this. According to a 1963 article in ASPCA Animal Protection, "Ten years ago the tide of...dread virus diseases engulfed millions of puppies and kittens. Today they are slowly being wiped out by vaccines." -
Money was droping euthinasia was rising
On January 1, 1995, the ASPCA’s contract to provide animal control for the city of New York expired, and a decision was made not to renew. The job had drained the Society's resources; even in 1963, as reported in Animal Protection, the ASPCA was "steadily losing money since 1956." But over the course of the 100-year contract, the ASPCA had made notable improvements: In 1928, the per-capita euthanasia rate was 511 dogs and cats for every 10,000 people; by 1994, the rate dropped to 53 per 10,000 p -
ASPCA is Still growing
As executors of Bergh's legacy work in the 21st century, The Great Meddler's influence is stronger than ever. As written in The Citizen, March 13, 1888, upon Bergh's death: "...so firm a hold did he take on the public sense of right that it is impossible that his work shall not be continued. he has made too many converts to render it all likely that his commonwealth will ever relapse into a condition to witness cruelty to animals without resentment." More than 125 years later, the words still ri
