DonMonique Joyce posted on December 01, 2011 12:50

 

ASPCA Presidential Service Awards

Caroline Griffin
In 2009, Phoenix, a female Pit Bull, was doused with gasoline and set on fire in West Baltimore. After hearing about this horrific incident, lawyer Caroline Griffin devoted her life to advocating for changes in Baltimore's policies and procedures to better protect animals and prosecute abusers. Caroline was appointed to chair a task force to examine the extent of animal abuse and neglect in the city and to improve the city’s response to the problem. In recognition of the effectiveness of Mayor's Anti-Animal Abuse Task Force under her leadership, the Baltimore City Council in October 2010 officially voted to make it a permanent standing Anti-Animal Abuse Advisory Commission, the first of its kind in the country.

ASPCA Cat of the Year
Last January in Baltimore, two teenage boys trapped a young cat in a milk crate while she was nursing her kittens, doused her in lighter fluid and struck a match. The feline managed to escape from the crate, extinguish the fire and return to her newborns. Mittens, as she was named, was rescued by local police and animal control officers, and, along with her kittens, brought to the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS), where she recovered from the loss of her ears and severe burns. Mittens’ inspiring story garnered extensive media coverage, and she became the unofficial face of the fight for animal protection laws in the state. Mittens now lives with Cindy Wright, while the primary perpetrator in her case pled guilty to felony animal cruelty.