Fall 2009 • V ol. 43 No. 3 - San Diego Humane Society and SPCA

cover story
Humane Society through just such
a case. Officer Terisa Harju received
a report that a family was keeping
a dog that appeared to be suffering,
and upon investigating, Officer Harju
found 4-year-old Buster limping around
their backyard. “The family was going
through a difficult domestic situation,
and caring for the dog was no longer
their top priority,” said Officer Harju.
“I informed them that the dog needed
veterinary care, but they did not want to
provide it. Though it was hard for them,
they realized that they could not give
Buster the best possible life, and they
relinquished him to our custody.” After
receiving attention from the San Diego
Humane Society’s veterinarians, Buster
is on the road to recovery and waiting
to be adopted into a new home where he
will receive the love and attention that
he deserves.
Buster’s case was an instance of
animal neglect. California law dictates
that pet owners must provide their pets
with adequate food, water, shelter and
veterinary care when sick or injured.
With neglect, one or more of these items
may have been unintentionally ignored.
However, when an owner knowingly
denies basic needs or intentionally
causes physical harm, the situation
escalates to animal abuse. When officers
investigating a case have discovered
proof that an animal was intentionally
abused, an arrest will be made.
Depending on the level of abuse, charges
can range from a misdemeanor to a
felony, leading to up to a year in prison
and a fine of up to $20,000.
Fortunately, Buster’s story isn’t the
only happy ending that Officer Harju has
witnessed recently. In June, a concerned
pet lover reported that a mother cat and
her three kittens were being kept in a
bird cage at a neighbor’s home. Upon
inspection, it was clear that the kittens
were lethargic and covered in fleas.
One kitten had a severe laceration to
his eye. Officer Harju knew that this
kitten needed attention immediately
and assured the owners that it would be
in all the cats’ best interest if they were
surrendered, and the owners consented.
Photo: Candice Eley
Humane Officer Lisa McDaniels checks in with
the Investigations Dispatcher while out working
on cases.
Rather that returning to the campus,
Officer McDaniels is instructed to head
to the Humane Society’s equipment
storage facility to hook up the rescue
trailer to her vehicle in case any calls for
in the Life of a Humane Investigations Officer
Captain Roscoe Redbeard recovers from his eye
laceration alongside his brother in the Humane
Society’s Veterinary Medicine department.
Now known as Captain Roscoe Redbeard,
the 7-week-old kitten with the eye
laceration is making a speedy recovery
through the efforts of the San Diego
Humane Society’s veterinarians and
some extra love and attention in a Foster
Care home.
It’s now late in the afternoon
on July 3 when Officer McDaniels
leaves Ramona after inspecting the
malnourished horses to return to the
Humane Society campus. Though the
progress is slow, she is pleased to see
that the horses have gained some weight,
and she’ll be back soon to make sure
that progress continues. On the journey
home, a call comes over the radio that a
fire has broken out in the Poway area.
emergency fire rescue are placed. It’s an
unexpected stop, but just another part
of the day-to-day job of being a Humane
Investigations Officer.
The San Diego Humane Society and
SPCA takes reports of animal cruelty
24 hours a day on our abuse hotline.
Reports can be made anonymously both
on our hotline at (619) 243-3466 or
via our website, www.sdhumane.org.
Please note, the San Diego Humane
Society investigates instances of abuse
or neglect and does not respond to calls
on barking dogs or loose or stray pets
– please contact the San Diego County
Department of Animal Services for
assistance with these issues.
CE
AnimalFare • Fall 2009
www.sdhumane.org
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