Schenectady County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

The Schenectady County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or SPCA is an organization that is dedicated to protecting animals from harm and ensuring that animal cruelty laws are enforced under their jurisdiction.

The Schenectady County SPCA has no ties to their national counterpart, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Though they share an ideology and many of their methods and operations are similar, the two organizations are completely independent of each other.

History

This organization began with Chief Mathew B. Tully. Tully has always been an animal lover and has been involved throughout his life in different organizations that benefit animals. A resident of Niskayuna, NY, Tully became aware that no such organization had specific jurisdiction in his county, Schenectady County.

He then set out to form the county –wide organization, seeking donations and volunteers that shared his views on animal safety.

The Schenectady County SPCA is a non-profit organization that relies solely on the work of volunteers and generous donations to the cause. They receive no other funding, either from private organizations or from the government.

Humane Law Enforcement

Among the volunteers for the Schenectady County SPCA are a group of individuals responsible for humane law enforcement. These peace officers are granted certain powers to carry out their duties. Each officer undergoes an intense regimen of training in which their powers as a peace officer are explained, they learn about arrest and search procedures, and are taught the animal cruelty and penal laws for their State. In addition to these lectures, each officer goes through practical training in the use of pepper spray, an extendable baton, and firearms.

Humane Education

Another important part of what the SPCA does is education. It is important to keep people up to date and informed with quality information as to the state of animal cruelty laws and ways to both detect and prevent such activities from occurring.

External links

* [http://www.schenectadyspca.org Schenectady County SPCA]