Toll-Free Line Seeks to Curb Animal Abuse

As Sgt. Cori Whetstone approaches the yard of knee-high dry weeds, downed clotheslines and discarded, dusty furniture, her hunch proves correct: Amid the debris, lying between an old sofa and a junked television console, is a malnourished dog.

She crouches near the skinny Siberian husky.

“Come here, boy,” she says sweetly.

“Oh, that’s a good boy,” she adds while the dog slowly manages to stand, its tail wagging at Whetstone, a complete stranger but a friend who has come to rescue the animal from reported neglect.

Because of a new toll-free number--(800) 540-SPCA--eyewitnesses now can more quickly report animal cruelty, and dogs, cats, horses and even exotic animals that are abused, beaten, abandoned and worse, are getting much-needed help.

Since the tip line, sponsored by the Los Angeles Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, began operating in late August, more than 300 calls have been received from Los Angeles County animal lovers.

As an investigator with the society, it is Whetstone’s job--shared with five others--to ensure that the animals are rescued, nursed back to life and adopted by caring owners.

The LA/SPCA crews also work with law enforcement agencies to investigate occult activities involving animals used in rituals; pet shop abuses, and in arresting operators of dog fighting and cockfighting rings.

Full Police Powers

Whetstone, a senior investigator and licensed animal health technician (the equivalent of a registered nurse for animal care), has full police powers in animal cases. She and her fellow investigators are graduates of both the State Humane and Reserve Police Officers’ academies.

For three years, answering distress calls, Whetstone has traveled across the county--sometimes logging as many as 200 miles a day in a high-tech van equipped with two-way radios, cages, a cellular phone and an emergency earthquake kit.

She says she never ceases to be amazed at the cruelty she sees--from emaciated horses to a dog chained around a post and left for dead--that animals are forced to endure at the hands of their alleged best friends: human beings.

“I don’t know what makes a person react so cruelly to an animal that is basically helpless, an animal who has come to depend on his owner for food and shelter,” she says. “It is us, mankind, who has domesticated these animals and us who are mistreating them.”

The hot line was started to avert such abuses, Whetstone says, adding, “We want to bring public awareness to the community about the horrendous acts of violence against animals and let the people know that we are here to assist, to rescue these creatures and give them better homes.”

But more often than not, Whetstone and other investigators are met with contempt and threats when investigating cases.

“ ‘What’s a dog catcher doing with a gun?’ is the usual response we get,” she says. But what the public doesn’t realize is that animal cruelty is a misdemeanor, punishable with a maximum $1,000 fine and up to a year in jail.

Sentenced to Jail

Recently, she says, a Los Angeles man was sentenced to 60 days in jail and fined $500 for poisoning a neighbor’s dog because it knocked over his trash can. She took the poisoning complaint on the hot line from a relative of the man.

“It was quite sad,” Whetstone says. “The man poisoned some chicken and placed it on top of the trash. The dog barely made it into the kitchen and died in its owner’s arms.”

Whetstone said the society could have offered the man advice on how to speak to the dog’s owner to solve the problem before he took his drastic step. “Poisoning is a cold act,” she said. “And now the whole neighborhood knows what happened and it’s not the best situation for the man’s family.”