Does anyone watch Animal Cops Houston?

[Roz]

I got SKy a month or so ago and have started watching this series on Animal Planet. It seems that in every programme the SPCA are rescuing the most appallingly starved horses, last night there was the sweetest chestnut who literally had no body fat at all, he was just skin pulled tight over bone. Very sadly he didn't make it but they managed to get him to their rescue compound and he died with dignity, heartbreaking to watch.

Has anybody else watched it?

[percypony]

Yeah I watch it sometimes and what I love about it is how seriously they take the abuse! They can go in and take an animal if they THINK it might be in danger unlike our RPSCA who can't do much even when the animal is actually suffering!
They also have just the same rights as cops when it comes to arresting people, entering homes etc! I think we could learn a lot from their methods/authority etc!

[Roz]

Absolutely Sarahlou, they do seem to take their animal cruelty seriously and have far more powers than our RSPCA, plus they seem to have dedicated police who get the warrant for seizures sorted very quickly. I wish our RSPCA were more like them!

[marywelsh]

i,m hooked on this programme
i also saw the horse last night, it amazes me that the owners will insist there is nothing wrong with the horse.
i to feel the r.s.p.c.a should have the same powers as the american ones

[monet]

i too am an avid fan....i love the way they have a open sided trailer! and all the horses they take just walk right on in!

a few weeks back they took two mares that had been thethed to the side of a road and both were in foal, they were treated with so much respect and yes we can learn so much from them!

[marigold]

I watch it as long as I'm not feeling emotional or anything cos I end up getting all upset. Agree with you all about how much better it is that they are allowed to do things our rspca aren't. The horses make me blub the most!!

[Roz]

Totally agree Marigold, you have to be in the right frame of mind to watch it. The one case that really got through to me was the that of the mange ridden dog from the night before last. He was such a total sweetheart and so happy to be rescued. I have never seen mange so bad on an animal, you couldn't even tell what breed he was. The saddest thing was that even though he was in high spirits they decided to PTS as he would never fully recover from his condition - absolutely tragic and what a complete waste of a beautiful animal.

One thing that really annoys me (will get off my soap box in a minute) is that it seems most of the owners who get taken to court over their horses that are pitifully thin, are all overweight themselves and they plead poverty. I'm afraid I have been known to yell at the TV comments along the lines of, well if you stopped stuffing food down your throat and spent some of your money of food for your horses, then you wouldn't be in court!

[marywelsh]

i know poor dog and when they said they were going to pts i was shouting no
i watch it that much that when they say the dog has mange i hope it is the curable one, oh and when they mention heartworm i think the poor dog is a goner

[jinks]

I hate this sort of program cant watch it I set really upset...

[julz]

I used to watch it when i had A.P, alot of these programmes are repeated but none-the-less, horrific what americans fo to their animals, There was one progame abouyt a woman who had so many cats in her flat it was unhygenic, and she couldn't see it, not only to herself, and neighbours, but to the cats themselves....

[natalia]

I think in America they need the stronger laws. Animals are often treated in a very throwaway way over in the US. there are some horrible facts about homeless and abandoned dogs and cats in New york city. They have the worst record of homeless animals being PTS in the world. I hate the way over there that you can walk in to one of the huge pet stores and buy just about anything, there are many exotic creatures and the puppies are in cages stacked to the ceiling. It made me quite upset as the fact is many of these pedigree puppies won't make it past their 5th birthday. I'm not saying all homes are bad, but one of the main problems is that people in tiny apartments buy cute puppies and they grow in to large dogs, that they simply don't have the room for.

[maislow]

I watch it & wish our authorities had the same power as them.

[circusdancer]

I have seen it but not regularly. It makes me angry for obvious reasons ie the cruelty but also for the fact that the US have given greater authority to the guardians of animal welfare than we have in the UK - this great nation of animal lovers!