The American Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), is an internationally-recognized animal organization headquartered in New York City, and is the oldest humane society in the country.
Society[ies] for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), are strictly county-based organizations located throughout the United States.
If you donate to the ASPCA, but live in any county other than the five boroughs of New York City, while still a worthy cause, your donation goes to support that organization, rather than your smaller, local, often-underfunded SPCA from the county in which you live.
HLE v ANIMAL CONTROL
Humane Law Enforcement (HLE) is often confused with Animal Control, even though the two responsibilities and functions sometimes overlap. However, the title of animal control refers only to those individuals specifically-trained and employed by municipal shelters to physically handle stray or aggressive animals, and sometimes wildlife. They are not peace officers, and have no law enforcement authority.
EMPLOYMENT
We are an all-volunteer organization, and therefore do not offer any paid positions.
LAW ENFORCEMENT DIVISION
Basic requirements (including, but not limited to):*
Must be a legal U.S. citizen.
Must be 18 years of age or older.
Have never been arrested.
Have never been convicted of a crime.
Have never abused a controlled substance.
Hold a valid New York State driver's license.
Have specialized education and/or experience in criminal justice, investigations, law enforcement, or related field(s).
Agree to undergo a comprehensive background investigation by the Nassau County Police Department.
Must put in equal time with the Humane Division.
MUST LOVE ANIMALS. Persons only interested in law enforcement will not be considered.
*Meeting the above criteria does not guarantee placement in the agency.
RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT(S)
Must currently reside in Nassau*, Suffolk, or Queens County.
*As our membership grows, this requirement may be limited to Nassau County only.
INTERNSHIPS
We do not offer a formal internship program. If you would like to receive rewarding experience and satisfaction knowing that you're helping to make a difference in the lives of animals, while also earning school credit, we recommend volunteering some time.
FERAL FELINES
We do not handle feral cat populations, even though they are an unfortunate fact of Long Island. We also do not investigate or enforce their feeding and sheltering, as there is currently no law preventing anyone from doing it.
If you know of a feral population, please contact your town's animal shelter, and see the Spay/Neuter Programs page for organizations who can assist you.
SPAYING and NEUTERING
We do not personally offer spay or neuter services, as we do not have veterinarians on staff. Please see the Spay/Neuter Programs page for organizations who can assist you.
WILDLIFE
Unless specifically needed, we normally do not handle wildlife, only domesticated animals. If there is a wild animal in need of help, please contact your town's animal shelter, or the Region 1 (Long Island) Office of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
If there is a wild animal in need of trapping and removing, please contact your town's animal control division, or a professional wildlife handling service. See the Wildlife page for more information.
If you see a raccoon, or any other wild animal that appears to be ill, it may be rabid. Please contact the Nassau County Department of Health's Rabies Control at: #516-227-9663.
BARKING DOGS
We do not investigate barking dog complaints unless some form of animal cruelty is clearly involved. Please contact the village or county police department, as constant barking is considered a noise violation that normally falls under specific county code regulations, and town noise ordinances.
