COUNTYWIDE : New SPCA Hot Line Gets Faster Action

Erratic yelps had jolted the usually placid neighborhood for nearly a week. No one really knew who--or what--was being hurt until a curious tenant peered over the fence.

“They were hitting a large dog with sticks,” said Anne Hahn, who answers phones on a new animal abuse hot line operated by the Orange County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The society quickly dispatched a staff humane officer, who investigated the incident and arranged for an adoption, Hahn said. “The animal will probably be removed soon.”

Before the hot line went into operation early this year, complaints like this one took time to investigate, as society volunteers working at home took calls and forwarded them to humane officers or other humane organizations for investigation.

But with a new office in Westminster since January, the SPCA chapter can more easily handle the growing number of calls, which average about 30 per week, said Pat Guiver, the executive director of the chapter.

Before the office opened, Guiver said, “we would just give advice. And we would suggest other organizations to turn to.”

The new telephone line, which is staffed between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on weekdays, also takes questions about animal care, she said.

“We address the lack of knowledge among pet owners,” she said. “Frequently, people don’t understand the needs of a particular species. They don’t understand, either, that there are laws to protect animals.”

The society’s office is backed by a trio of state humane officers who are licensed to act on any reports of animal abuse.

“We have the power of a police officer,” said Lt. Joseph Oliver, one of the officers who works for the society. “We can make arrests and serve warrants in any place in California.”

That isn’t usually necessary, though. “A lot of people just call up to say, ‘I’ve got a parakeet. What do I feed it?”’ he said.

Nonetheless, when there is a serious problem, the society wants to be there, said Karin Christensen, the organization’s president.

“If there’s an animal that’s being abused, we want to be there,” she said. “We want to be available to help.”

To report a case of animal abuse, the society’s hot line number is (714) 373-4747.