20/20 UNDERCOVER - SPCA STEALS DOGS

Dateline 2005 Houston TX  It was NOT like animal cops.  The breeders were anything but show breeders but the dogs were healthy, wagging, and well socialized, including the 198 dogs confiscated from a one-woman, non-breeding rescue facility!!!  In every "rescue" situation, SPCA workers picked up the dogs and held them close in their arms.  As John Stossel pointed out, there were no “urine soaked” “feces covered” dogs as had been represented in order to persuade the judge to issue the warrants.  What the report did not state was whether the same judge issued repeated warrants, how many judges issued fraudulent warrants, and what recourse the duped judges will take.  Or will the judges take no action - something the public would regard as suspiciously complicit?

As stated in the promo, the Texas ringleader was clearly using the law to steal dogs from innocent owners.  The story really played the emotions, from sadness and sympathy for the owners, to outrage against the SPCA, and finally to fear in the minds of anyone who owns more than a couple of registered animals.  The Arabian horse owner went to court and was able to get back some of his horses but most had been sold off, on the spot, the day the SPCA swooped down on him with buyers and a local TV crew.  According to the distraught owner, people took their pick (for a price) of his valuable, high quality horses.

A big, smiling, soft-spoken director led the raids executed by his volunteers, uniformed offices, pulling in with huge glitzy enclosed SPCA trailers proclaiming the “officialness” of his mission.  His salary is $80,000 per year.  We assume he is his own not-for-profit and therefore, raking in a lot of money through the sale of purebred animals in addition to donations.

Says Stossel "I thought they were heroic animal rescuers, but some animal owners say they act like petty tyrants, confiscating animals that aren't in trouble. The SPCAs are not police agencies, but they are given the authority to act like it. Animal owners tell us SPCAs abuse their power to steal people's animals."

Hats Off to ABC for exposing a powerful money-making racket that is more common than anyone would have suspected.  Stossel pointed out this was not the NY based ASPCA.  Grateful Letters to ABC would do no harm! 
JohnStossel@abcnews.com.