See Your Impact

On July 29, the ASPCA hosted the grand opening of the ASPCA Community Veterinary Clinic by Kathy Taggares in Los Angeles, located in Carson. The new clinic will provide access to affordable veterinary services for tens of thousands of underserved pet owners in the South Bay area each year and improve the health and welfare of dogs and cats in the surrounding community.

This clinic was made possible by Los Angeles resident and entrepreneur, spay/neuter advocate and ASPCA supporter Kathy Taggares, who has generously committed $2.5 million to bring these vital services to Los Angeles pets who need them most. Taggares has supported the ASPCA’s spay/neuter initiatives in Los Angeles since 2012, having donated more than $4.8 million to the ASPCA’s lifesaving programs.

The grand opening featured a brief ceremony where Matt Bershadker, ASPCA President and CEO, delivered welcome remarks to all guests and supporters in attendance, discussing the ASPCA’s vision for affordable veterinary care and praising Taggares for her tremendous generosity.

“Today is about much more than simply opening a new building. We’re opening doors to opportunity, hope and healthier futures for animals and the people who love them,” said Bershadker. “Kathy Taggares has always believed that meaningful change requires more than generosity, it requires investing in solutions that can create lasting impact. This clinic is a powerful example of that philosophy in action.”

Stephany Soto, ASPCA’s Western Region Senior Director of Operations of Community Medicine, touched on her own journey into veterinary medicine, reminiscing on various pets she has shared her life with throughout the years, sharing that, “They were never ‘just pets.’ They were family, teachers and siblings, and the reason why I chose this career.” She also spotlighted the organization’s impact on communities across the country by stating, “I’ve seen firsthand how community medicine transforms the lives of pets and animals by removing barriers to care, meeting families where they are and building trust through compassionate service … but this work did not begin with us in California. This clinic stands on the foundation built by our Community Veterinary Clinics in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Miami.”

Taggares, with gratitude and appreciation, shared, “Years ago, when I wanted to get involved with animal welfare, I knew I wanted to do something significant. I knew I needed to find an organization that I could really align with.” She went on to share her utmost hopes for the new clinic, stating, “I have a dream that someday every animal, every cat, every dog, will find a loving home … we have a long way to go, but this clinic gets us one step closer.”

Following the opening remarks, former Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star and two-time World Series Champion Chris Taylor, along with his wife Mary, joined the esteemed group, including Bershadker, Taggares, Soto and ASPCA Chief Program Officer Bert Troughton, for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The ASPCA Community Veterinary Clinic by Kathy Taggares in Los Angeles is the fifth clinic we’ve opened in seven years, with the first clinic opening in Miami, followed by clinics in New York City’s Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens boroughs. To date, the ASPCA Community Veterinary Clinics have collectively served more than 150,000 cats and dogs since 2019. These clinics make veterinary care more accessible and affordable, and the ASPCA continues to develop initiatives to serve the millions of pets living in poverty with their owners nationwide.

The location of the new clinic was chosen because of the lack of affordable veterinary care in the surrounding area. The ASPCA estimates that more than 500,000 Los Angeles County cats and dogs are currently living with people in poverty who have little to no access to veterinary services.

The ASPCA Community Veterinary Clinic by Kathy Taggares will offer free and affordable basic and preventive care to dogs and cats, including vaccinations, treatment for minor illnesses and injuries, and spay/neuter surgeries. The clinic will also provide care to homeless dogs and cats from local animal rescue organizations, including Carson Animal Care Center. Pet owners interested in learning more about the ASPCA’s new clinic should visit www.aspca.org/carsonto confirm their eligibility.

Expanding Our Critical Work in Los Angeles

This new clinic is an expansion of the critical work we’ve been doing in Los Angeles for over a decade. Since 2014, we have been assisting pets and pet owners in Los Angeles through on-the-ground programs, including veterinary care, spay/neuter services, and a kitten foster and adoption program.

The ASPCA Spay/Neuter Clinic in South Los Angeles has provided over 175,000 spay/neuter surgeries to pets, including providing more than 26,000 spay/neuter surgeries to shelter animals at Los Angeles City’s Chesterfield Square Animal Services Center. We also operate mobile spay/neuter and veterinary care clinics in under-resourced communities across Los Angeles and have safely transported more than 70,000 dogs and cats from Los Angeles-area shelters to other organizations for a better chance of adoption.

We also operate our Los Angeles Kitten Foster Program out of the Los Angeles County Animal Care Centers, where ASPCA foster caregivers have helped over 15,000 cats and kittens find homes.

In addition to our on-the-ground work, we’ve provided more than $16 million in grant funding to Los Angeles-based groups since 2008. Most recently, we announced a first-of-its-kind collaboration with Best Friends Animal Society to provide LA Animal Services with a $14 million funding and operational support initiative to strengthen and enhance services across the City’s six animal shelters. With Council approval secured, this transformative, multi-year initiative will deliver immediate resources while building long-term, sustainable improvements for animals and the Los Angeles community.

When a Good Samaritan saw a small puppy abandoned and alone at a very busy intersection in New York City, they jumped into action. The poor 6-week-old puppy, later named Ava, was obviously in dire need of help, so the Good Samaritan brought her to a local police precinct.

Officers took a look at Ava and noticed how severely injured she was, prompting the case to be flagged for suspected animal cruelty. The officers then took her to an ASPCA partner veterinary hospital.

Radiographs and examination of her tiny body told a heartbreaking story.

Ava was actively bleeding from both of her nostrils and had several facial fractures in her nose, palate and skull. As a result of these fractures, she had a misalignment to her bite, causing multiple teeth to poke into her palate resulting in even more pain. She also had a deep penetrating wound near the inner corner of her eye breaching her sinuses and causing free air to leak into the space under her skin every time she took a breath.

“She was only 6 weeks old and had already endured so much trauma,” said Dr. Aubrey Crowley, an ASPCA veterinarian. “The fractures were obviously untreated, unstable and quite painful for her. She had endured a lot of suffering in such a short amount of time in her life.”

One of the veterinarians at the partner clinic closed her wounds and gave her stabilizing intensive care. She was then transferred into our care the following day to continue medical treatment.

Continuing Treatment

Upon admission to the ASPCA Animal Recovery Center, Ava was placed in our intensive care unit.

 “She was vocalizing, especially when her face was touched, which is a sign to us that she was in severe pain,” remembered Dr. Crowley. “I can only imagine what it feels like to have multiple bones in your face broken and to not be treated for that and just to experience that constant agony. Every time she tried to drink, lick, eat, it was incredibly painful for her.”

After closer examination, it was noticed that Ava had damage to the nerves in her face as a direct result of her injuries, most especially on the right side, that was affecting her ability to blink. As she was unable to fully close her right eye, she could not adequately circulate tear film across her eye, causing her cornea to become very dry and ulcerated. Corneal ulcerations are known to cause excruciating pain.

To help manage her pain, Ava required a constant intravenous infusion of pain medication. She was also provided with eye lubrication four times a day with a very thick optical lubricant to prevent her eye from further drying and ulcerating.

But just as Ava was beginning to become more stable, she faced a devastating new obstacle.

A Deadly Setback

After just a few days in our care, the 6-week-old puppy came down with parvovirus, a potentially fatal virus seen in puppies. Parvovirus, or parvo, is completely preventable with adequate vaccination, but unfortunately, Ava was unvaccinated.

Puppies are incredible vulnerable to illness as their immune systems are still developing, so any exposure to something like parvo can become a very serious condition very quickly.

“Parvovirus is known to kill puppies when left untreated,” said Dr. Crowley. “It requires intensive supportive care because it causes a sloughing (or shedding) of the gastrointestinal tract, which makes them prone to secondary infections like sepsis as a result of losing their intestinal lining, allowing harmful bacterial to enter their bloodstream from their intestines. These puppies also have very low white blood cell counts, making them vulnerable to any other infection. They are at risk of aspiration pneumonia because the virus causes dramatic vomiting and regurgitation, which they can sometime breathe into their lungs and is another deadly consequence.”

The typical incubation period for parvovirus is one to two weeks, which indicated that Ava had been exposed prior to being admitted into our care.

Treating parvo requires intensive care for a normal puppy, but for Ava, her extensive injuries created even more challenges for treatment.

“From the beginning Ava wasn’t the best eater because her mouth was so painful, but then she had this additional hurdle to overcome that was causing her tremendous nausea and gastrointestinal pain,” explained Dr. Crowley.  “Nutritional support was very difficult for her but also very important as a young, growing puppy. We had her on intensive fluid therapy, multiple antibiotics, multiple pain medications and medications that help encourage the gut to move so that fluid doesn’t stay stagnant so she’s not at risk for that vomiting and aspiration pneumonia.”

Traditionally, an additional treatment for more severe parvo cases would include placing a feeding tube from the puppy’s nose into their stomach, allowing for the removal of excessive fluid that puppies will vomit up, as well as introduce nutrition if the puppy isn’t eating. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the displaced fractures in Ava’s face altering her nasal cavity, passing a tube through her nose was impossible.

“We are very fortunate at the ASPCA to have the generous support of our donors, so we were able to try a relatively new treatment in veterinary medicine called monoclonal antibody therapy,” Dr. Crowley told us. “That’s an injection that’s given that has antibodies specifically for the parvovirus multiped many times over. Parvo wipes out their immune system; they have no ability to fight the infection — this gives them a fighting chance. For Ava, it saved her life.”

When first arriving in our care, Ava was very depressed, in a lot of pain and often just sitting hunched over.

“Normally you would expect a 6-week-old puppy to be bouncing off the walls, chewing on things, barking, running around. Ava did none of those things,” she said. “But once she was over the hurdle of parvovirus, she completely changed. She became a bubbly puppy who was playful, social and rowdy. She became she lively puppy she was always meant to be.”

The Final Step to Recovery

Now that Ava was healthier and more stable, she was brought to ASPCA veterinary partner, Animal Medical Center (AMC) to have an extensive dental procedure done. They removed several of her teeth so that her jaw misalignment would no longer cause trauma to that area of her mouth.

“Dogs fortunately have plenty of teeth to spare, so she didn’t notice any were missing, but it did help her comfort level dramatically long term,” explained Dr. Crowley.

When she was feeling even more like herself, Ava was sent to see a veterinary ophthalmology team to see what the best course of action would be for her right eye.

“We would never want to remove a dog’s eye if we didn’t have to, so we sent her to see a specialist,” recalled Dr. Crowley. “The ophthalmologist assessed her and determined that the nerve damage to her face was permanent and unfortunately, she would never get that ability to blink back, so she would always be at risk for these painful ulcers on the surface of her eye. They made the recommendation to remove the eye. It was the right choice for her because she ended up having a very deep, non-healing ulcer in that eye that was painful. Afterwards she acted like nothing happened.”

Just days later, the now-one-eyed dog was bouncing around like a puppy her age should.

Once she was fully healed up from her surgery, Ava was ready for adoption. Over seven months had passed since she came into our care, and all it took was one meeting with her adopter to make each one of those days worth it. At the end of November, Ava was officially adopted into a loving home.

A Team Effort

Without the massive amounts of specialized care provided not only by the ASPCA, but also by our veterinary partners, Dr. Crowley is certain Ava would not have survived.

“Ava’s care was nothing short of a herculean effort of all teams involved at the ASPCA,” she said. “She was so incredibly sick with parvovirus at the beginning. It involved a lot monitoring on the clinicians’ part. We had to do a lot of exams to see how she was doing and to reassess her. The nursing team are heroes for these dogs. They’re the ones who are there overnight and called the doctors when Ava’s blood pressure got critically low and she needed medication. They’re the ones monitoring her, giving her the treatment, letting the doctors know of all the changes happening, encouraging her to try to eat, giving her the pain meds to keep her comfortable. It was definitely a very large team effort to get her recovered to where she is today.”

But our teams would not be able to provide Ava, or any animal, with the specialized care necessary for their survival if it were not for our dedicated and generous donors.

“Donor support for a case like Ava’s is lifesaving. None of the injuries she faced are easy to treat. Any one single injury would be something that would require intensive work in a veterinary setting. Ava unfortunately had setback after setback and injury after injury,” Dr. Crowley explained. “We were able to provide her with this intensive care and overnight monitoring with all the medications she needed, especially for the parvo recovery. Monoclonal antibodies are a wonderful treatment, but they are not cheap. Thanks to donor support, we were able to acquire that for Ava and it’s ultimately what saved her life.”

Why We Do It

When Dr. Crowley initially took the job of working exclusively on animal cruelty cases, she was shocked to see just how common animal cruelty is and learned quickly how taxing it is to see on a daily basis.

“It’s happening right under our noses,” she said. “I love my job, and I love what I do, but it is hard and it is draining to bear witness to some of the worst behavior that humanity can do to animals. For cruelty to happen to any dog is tragic and awful, but Ava was so young. Everyone thinks of puppies as innocent, loving creatures, and that’s what she was. For her to be so injured, regardless of how it happened, and rather than getting treatment or even dropping her off at a shelter where she could get help, just tossing her out like trash, and not valuing her life as this wonderful companion is really hard for me to deal with.”

But Dr. Crowley has found the best way to deal with it is to be a part of the recovery story.

“I really cherish watching these animals start to recover,” she told us. “Every milestone they hit makes a difficult job worth doing. Eventually seeing them leave our doors, go into homes, be loved like they should have been and always deserved, that’s the biggest reward for doing this job, even when it’s really difficult, even on those really hard days. I think people here are committed to this cause because they know we can make a difference.

Dogs deserve to be loved as much as they love us. Dogs deserve to have a home with people that cherish them as the unconditional sources of love that they are. Dogs have been by our sides for thousands of years, they are fiercely loyal to humans and they deserve to have that same loyalty returned. Dogs deserve happiness, safety, security and to be cherished and loved and met with patience and understanding.”

Ava has since found exactly that. She is now living in a kind, loving and safe home, being cherished in the way she was always meant to be.

After saying goodbye to their 14-year-old Dachshund, Kippy, last October, Barie-Lynne R. asked her family, “How are we going to live without a dog?”

“There were no more daily walks,” said Barie-Lynne, who had adopted Kippy from Start II Animal Rescue in Englewood, New Jersey, 10 years before. “I had no reason to go anywhere. It was difficult. Having a dog is an essential part of our family.”

In January, Barie-Lynne, who lives in the Riverdale area of the Bronx, and her five adult children began their search for a new dog.

“Everyone realized it was a real loss,” she says. “We needed a dog in our home.”

Even her son, A.Z., who lives overseas, weighed in, “because he wants a dog here when he comes back,” Barie-Lynne says.

Her daughter, Surie, a volunteer at the ASPCA Adoption Center, told her mother about a dog named Dina.

“Surie walked Dina routinely, and told me, ‘I think you should meet her,’” Barie-Lynne says. “After her walk, she told me Dina cried when she had to go back into the shelter. Of course, that tugged on my heartstrings.”

Barie-Lynne’s next question was, “When should we adopt?”

Another daughter, Rifky, answered, “Mom, every night we don’t adopt is another night they have to stay in the shelter.”

Rifky’s response inspired Barie-Lynne to act sooner rather than later.

Rescue & Refeeding

Late on the night of October 23, 2025, an NYPD lieutenant found a young dog tied to a tree in Baisley Pond Park in Jamaica, Queens.

The lieutenant took the emaciated dog, who appeared to be a Labrador Retriever-mix, to the Veterinary Emergency Group in Brooklyn, an ASPCA partner clinic that accepts animal cases during hours when the ASPCA is closed.

The following day, the dog was transported to the ASPCA Animal Hospital.

Estimated to be 10-12 months old, the dog, called Dina, weighed just 26 pounds. Dr. Robert Reisman, the ASPCA’s supervisor of forensic sciences, conducted her initial examination and recalls that “she was weak from loss of muscle mass and mildly dehydrated.”

Dina tested positive for hookworms and was treated for parasites. She also received antibiotics for a urinary tract infection.

Without any video or microchip to link Dina to a possible owner, her case was closed. But Dina had a long way to go toward recovery. She was placed on a re-feeding diet, a routine step for underweight dogs to manage the transition from “survival metabolism” — using their own body tissue for nutrition — to a normal metabolism in which food can be ingested and absorbed.

Dina’s diet was provided in small meals three times a day. After eight weeks, Dina weighed 36 pounds, a 38% increase from her intake weight. “This is far in excess of what a dog her age and size would normally gain,” Dr. Reisman said. “But her growth was compensatory; she had to make up for the period when she suffered from long-term inadequate nutrition.”

Road to Recovery

On November 13, Dina was transferred to the ASPCA Recovery & Rehabilitation Center in Pawling, New York, a new facility dedicated to treating canine victims of abuse and neglect. Dina, who could be shy and was often stressed in her kennel, healed in an environment that offered regular play groups and oversized kennels with outdoor access.

Kaitlin Cheek, senior manager of animal behavior, spent time with Dina daily, typically during playgroups or office time.

“Dina enjoyed her toys and making new dog friends,” says Kaitlin. “She also loved spending time with people.”

Kaitlin notes that Dina was an “exuberant” greeter in her kennel, jumping and barking excitedly whenever people approached.

“We worked hard to reinforce keeping all four paws on the floor and not barking,” Kaitlin explains. “When the weather permitted, we took Dina outdoors, where she loved to chase other dogs and be chased.”

Dina was spayed on December 10 and transferred back to the ASPCA Adoption Center on January 6, 2026.

An Adoption Ambassador

After applying to adopt Dina on Wednesday, January 14, Barie-Lynne spoke with Alex Casiano, an admissions and placement specialist.

“I love all of our pups, but Dina definitely has a special place in my heart,” says Alex, adding that Dina warmed up quickly to him and his colleagues and tolerated being dressed in a pink tutu.

Barie-Lynne, who adopted Dina on January 18, seconds Dina’s good-natured behavior.

“She loves our dog run at Seton Park,” she says. “Everyone knows her.”

Now close to 50 pounds, Dina is “much happier and more filled out.

“She’s still that ball of energy we were told she was going to be, but she’s settled in and calmed down,” Barie-Lynne says. “As soon as I adopted her, I was walking and meeting people again. Dina is proof that there are some really great dogs at shelters and rescues.”

Her family echoes her sentiment.

“Mom always said, you don’t shop for a dog,” Surie says. “You go to the shelter and see which dogs are there, which ones need a home. Adopting was always a big part of us having a dog.”

Says Rifky, “Having a dog emphasizes the importance of putting others before yourself. We always make sure our dog is fed before we eat dinner. When Dina needs to go for a walk, even if everyone’s busy, someone will make time to take her. She’s a great addition to our family.”

 When Alex M. went for a jog one day, he came across a group of ASPCA dogs on a walk and was inspired to check our website to see who might be available for adoption. Little did he know, this thought would soon change the life of one sweet little dog who was in need of a second chance.

While browsing online, Alex and his wife Heather came across Maeve, a 3-year-old Chihuahua who was wearing a costume dinosaur hood in one of her photos.

“We thought there’s no harm in calling the ASPCA; there’s no commitment for us to have the phone call,” remembered Alex. “So, Heather and I were out at lunch, and we had a phone call with a representative from the ASPCA who told us about Maeve’s backstory—which we had no idea about. It went from, ‘Oh there’s no commitment when you just have a phone call,” to immediately having our hearts melted and thinking, ‘We need to meet this girl and hopefully bring her into our lives.’”

A Painful Past

Early in August 2024, the NYPD found Maeve abandoned with severe and suspicious burns covering her back, arms, shoulders and chest. For such a small dog, these burns covered most of her body, and our teams knew she needed immediate care.

“Maeve was in a lot of pain when she came to us, so she required several days in our intensive care unit (ICU) just for pain management,” remembered Erica Barbot, director of the ASPCA Animal Recovery Center (ARC), a facility located in New York City which is dedicated to providing lifesaving veterinary care, behavioral assessments and treatments for dogs and cats, many of whom are victims of neglect or cruelty. “Her wounds were quite severe, and she was really hesitant to being handled at all because of the pain she was experiencing.”

Maeve was not only enduring severe pain from her burns but was displaying what our team refers to as “anticipatory pain.”

“She had associated handling with pain at this point because of the severity of her wounds,” said Erica. “She was giving us all the signs of saying, ‘I’m in pain, please don’t touch me. Please don’t hurt me anymore.’”

Our medical staff got to work immediately on Maeve, covering her in bandages and changing them multiple times a day to heal her wounds.

“Little by little she started to form bonds with the folks who were delivering her primary care and started to change her associations with touch from pain to more friendly associations instead,” explained Erica. “Our medical and ICU teams started being able to do more with her without her reacting so severely and without her crying out in pain. Over time her friend group grew, and she allowed more people to handle her more consistently.”

After nearly two weeks, Maeve no longer required extensive pain management and was finally cleared to be moved from our ICU to our shelter environment at ARC. Here, she was housed in Erica’s office as she needed a bigger space to settle in.

“I knew she was a sensitive girl who needed a little bit of time to make friends, so she came into my office, and I ignored her,” Erica laughed. “I let her approach me and did some baby talk. I was really happy to see that she approached me right away and nudged my hand for pets and when I’d stop, she’d continue to nudge my hand for pets. She was giving me all the signs to say that she was comfortable with me touching her and handling her. She had come such a long way already.”

Once Maeve had mostly healed from her wounds, it was determined that she wasn’t going to have much hair growth in the affected area. That skin would now need additional sun protection during walks and while in direct or indirect sunlight.

“We ordered her a UV shirt that she had to wear,” Erica told us. “She wasn’t a fan of it at first. That type of shirt is made to go over Maeve’s head and for her, that was scary.”

Wearing the shirt would now be a lifetime requirement for her skin condition, so our behavior team at ARC worked hard with Maeve to desensitize her from having the shirt put on.

“It was critical to her next step in moving to foster and then into adoption,” said Erica.

With time, patience, lots of treats and dedicated staff, Maeve became a pro at getting her shirt on, giving confidence to Erica and the rest of the ARC staff that she was ready to move into a foster home.

For Maeve, the goal of going into a foster home was to see if she could form bonds with new people and allow those people to help her with daily tasks, like putting on her UV shirt and applying ointments.

Thankfully, we found just the person to help.

A Dedicated Foster Caregiver

Carly M. has always loved dogs and being able to give back to the community, and while she’s not at the stage in her life where she can adopt a dog, she finds that fostering is the perfect solution.

“Knowing that there’s an opportunity to give a dog a temporary home and to create a loving environment so that wherever they end up next it’s an easy transition and they can go be someone else’s dog for life – it’s really rewarding and makes me want to continue fostering,” said Carly. “It brings me joy.”

Carly M. and Maeve as they reunited at the ASPCA Adoption Center following Maeve’s adoption.

Carly came across Maeve in an ASPCA email stating that she was looking for a foster home where she could heal.

“I had read about her injuries, but it wasn’t until I came to the Adoption Center, and they let her off the leash to run around the room that I saw the extent of her burns,” remembered Carly. “But I didn’t care. For me, I just wanted to cuddle her and pick her up.”

Leaving our facilities was a big, scary change for Maeve, who sadly shook during the whole ride home. Fortunately, things began to turn around quickly.

“As soon as we got home and I let her off her lead—she still had her UV shirt on she didn’t even let me take it off—she just raced around the apartment, got into every little corner, sniffed it all out and then just jumped right up on the bed and made herself at home. She laid on her back asking for belly rubs,” Carly told us.

That day Maeve became “queen of the castle,” taking majority spot on the bed and guarding the door.

“Any sound and she’d race to the door to be on protector mode. That was interesting because it was almost as if she was the protector even though I felt like I was the one who needed to protect her. She has a very big, bold personality and isn’t fearful of anything,” said Carly.

Within just two short weeks together, Maeve once again made impressive progress and proved to be ready to find a home to call her own. Just two days after being made available for adoption Alex and Heather inquired about Maeve.

A Family of Her Own

In late October, after a few emails and a Zoom call, Alex, Heather and their resident dog, Buttercup, headed to the Adoption Center to meet Maeve.

“It was kind of like meeting a celebrity that day because we had seen her photos online and were talking about her for a couple of days,” recalled Alex. “I remember seeing her in the lobby with Carly and thinking, ‘Oh my goodness that’s her!’ It really was like a celebrity sighting.”

After a great first meeting, Alex and Heather were able to bring Maeve home that same day, where they finally introduced her to their sons who had been begging for another dog.

Many pet parents choose to change their pet’s name after adoption, but Alex and Heather decided to stick with the name Maeve.

“When we looked up the meaning, it means like fierce warrior queen, and we just thought it suited her,” said Heather.

When Maeve arrived at her new home, she fit in seamlessly, quickly showing off her big personality.

“She totally has little sister energy,” said Heather. “When she first came in our other dog was a little territorial but then very quickly Maeve was like, ‘I own the place.’ She is the queen of the castle for sure. She’s super sweet but if I’m petting Buttercup she’ll come over and growl for attention.”

Despite being the classic younger sister, Maeve and Buttercup are best friends and spend most of their days curled up on the bed sleeping. However, when it comes to eating, Maeve once again shows her bossy personality.

The couple feed both their dogs at the same time but have to feed Maeve in her crate.

“It’s the only way to ensure that Buttercup gets a full meal because Maeve will scarf down her food,” laughed Alex.

“Maeve will run over, and Buttercup will just step aside and let her have whatever Maeve wants,” adds Heather.

Not only is Maeve best friends with Buttercup, but she’s friendly with all other dogs.

“She’s very easy to take on walks because she’s so friendly with everyone that walks by,” said Alex. “Since she has to wear a covering regardless of the weather, people are always noticing and commenting on her outfits.”

To date, Maeve has nearly 30 sweaters and shirts, and special holiday outfits too!

In addition to her coverings, Alex and Heather apply doggy sunscreen to Maeve’s skin in order to keep it healthy.

When looking to adopt a dog, it never crossed the family’s minds that they would adopt a dog with medical conditions like Maeve.

“But we just adored her right away and were like, ‘Well, this is what she’s coming to the table with, and we’ll take care of her!’” Heather told us. “I can’t imagine not having her and it’s been really wonderful to see our boys really grow to love Maeve so quickly,” she adds. “They’re so sweet with her. She’s really completed our family—although now our younger son is asking for one more.”

“The ASPCA has made it possible for us to bring Maeve into our lives, which has made our lives richer,” said Alex. “She’s a new presence and a new family member for us to love. It has brought a lot of joy and love into our family.”

Q: How did the ASPCA Equine Welfare team help in this case?

A: In this case, alongside our other ASPCA teams, we provided horse care, behavior and training evaluations, and evaluated and treated medical and hoof conditions in collaboration with local providers. Because the horses affected by this case are a breed called Morgan Horses, which is a historic breed developed in the late 1700s in the United States, we collaborated with the American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA) to identify the horses during the process of helping them find good homes. We also conducted a six-day adoption event where 57 horses were adopted directly from the temporary shelter into new homes. We transported horses who needed more rehabilitation or evaluation before adoption to our ASPCA Right Horse Partner shelters/rescues, where they are getting expert, advanced care so they can be adopted soon.

Q: It’s not all that often that nearly 90 horses come into our care. Can you describe what a rescue like this looks like?

A: You’re correct! This is a bit of an unusual scenario for us because we focus a lot of our work on developing programs that help owners before horses ever get to a point of cruelty and neglect. For example, we have a program in Oklahoma where any horse owner can access subsidized veterinary care or safe rehoming, in an effort to give horse owners a judgement-free place to turn if they hit hard times. Many of our ASPCA Right Horse Partners offer similar programs nationwide, and we have supported many of these programs with grant funding over many years.

In this case, we were luckily able to temporarily shelter the horses at the ranch where they were already located, which meant we didn’t have to move them right away. We brought in tons of hay and feed and made sure they had clean water around the clock—a big job in the negative temperatures. We reinforced pens and fences so they had safe enclosures, and for horses in small areas, we made sure they got turnout and exercise. We also made sure they weren’t too crowded and were housed in groups so they could socialize happily.  Most importantly, we had them all seen by veterinarians and farriers for long-overdue care.

Q: Can you describe the condition the horses came to us in? Were any medically compromised or in need of help behaviorally? 

A: By the time we started caring for the horses, the Humane Society of Western Montana (HSWM) and Madison County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) had provided good quality hay for a few months, so many had gotten back up to a healthy weight. Many of the horses had untreated medical conditions like metabolic diseases and various lamenesses (injuries or other conditions in their legs and/or hooves that can be painful and debilitating). One mare had an eye injury which we treated, and another had a painful tooth/sinus abscess. Several horses showed signs of laminitis, which is a very painful condition that affects the hooves and can easily become serious or chronic. Many of the horses had not had good hoof care for a long time, so they were suffering from long toes, poor hoof angles and other hoof problems that made standing and walking painful and can impact their long-term health and soundness. For large prey and herd animals like horses, these conditions can be extraordinarily painful, debilitating and even life-threatening.

Behaviorally, many horses were fearful and hard to catch, which made basic care difficult. It appeared some had not been handled in a long time, and many of the young horses appeared to have never had basic halter training.

Q: What does rehabilitation look like for these horses?

A: After the basics of enough quality hay/feed and water, the horses all needed veterinary care. Veterinarians examined each horse individually to identify issues and create a treatment plan (such as for the metabolic disease, laminitis and lameness), and vaccinated each horse. Farrier care was also a huge part of their rehab, as it can take months or longer to correct issues as the hoof regrows. The farriers examined each horse individually as well, and we took detailed notes about their initial status and the ongoing plan. For horses with more complex hoof issues, we took radiographs (X-rays) so that the farriers could see the underlying bones of the hoof and trim and shape the foot accordingly.

Q: Beyond rehabilitation, housing and caring for this many horses is a feat in and of itself. Can you explain what daily care has looked like and how many people are needed to get these animals the care they need?

A: We had a team of 6-12 dedicated staff on the ground every day from mid-January through the end of April taking care of the horses’ daily needs and bringing them back to health. We also coordinated with two local veterinarians and three local farriers, who provided excellent care. Especially in the winter, keeping water thawed was a full-time job! We ran several generators and broke ice so that each horse had access to clean water in sub-zero temperatures. We also fed extra hay to help horses stay warm in the cold weather. And every day, we gave medications to horses who needed them and treated any ongoing injuries or conditions. This case was unique in part because of the sheer size of the herd, so daily care was a massive undertaking, but one that our teams were prepared for.

Q: Are there still horses in our care? If so, why, and what care are we providing them? 

A: EVERY horse from the case has been placed! Over 60 in total were ready for adoption right away after we gained custody, thanks to the hard work our teams had put in for the four months we cared for them at the temporary shelter. These lucky horses were adopted directly into new, loving homes in mid-late April, and we’re already hearing happy updates from their adopters as they settle in. Others went to ASPCA Right Horse Adoption Partners for further rehabilitation so they can be adopted soon. We are also collaborating closely with the AMHA to identify the horses via DNA test, register them with the breed registry whenever possible, and provide their new owners with those registration papers, which are an important link to their identity and history.

Q: Why is the work we’re doing with these horses, and our equine work in general, important?

A: While it may not be as common to own a horse as a dog or cat, they need just as much care and protection as small animals. Horses can become at-risk for many reasons, and our equine welfare work is focused on preventing horses from falling into bad situations whenever possible and helping them get to new, loving homes as quickly as possible. This case is a strong example of how vulnerable horses are, and how much work it takes to get them healthy again and ready for new homes. It takes a lot of knowledge and dedication from many different people to help a group of horses this size; we have the unique ability to take on such a large case.