Animal Cops: Houston
Animal Cops: Houston is an American documentary reality television series that premiered in 2003 on Animal Planet. It takes place in Houston, Texas, and focuses on the work of the Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (HSPCA). The series is the third in a series of "umbrella rotation" of shows known collectively as "Animal Planet Heroes". It follows a team of cruelty investigators as they work with local law enforcement to remove animals from abusive or neglectful conditions and rescue animals who get injured or stuck in dangerous places.
| Animal Cops: Houston | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Reality Documentary Crime Mystery |
| Created by | Paul Berriff |
| Developed by | Paul Berriff |
| Narrated by | John Lurie Robert Leigh |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Production locations | Houston, Texas |
| Camera setup | Multiple |
| Running time | 45 minutes |
| Production company | ITV Studios |
| Distributor | Discovery Communications |
| Release | |
| Original network | Animal Planet |
| Original release | August 11, 2003 – March 15, 2015 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Plot
Each episode is a standalone documentary, although the same investigators and SPCA staff appear repeatedly throughout a season. The cast varies from season to season. A typical episode follows two to three stories of rescues.
The staff frequently rescue dogs and cats from hoarders and owners who have more pets than they can care for. They are also called in to investigate reports of underfed or abused horses. Occasionally they rescue animals who are trapped, such as under a house or in mud puddles that arise from the heavy rains in the Houston area. Less frequently, they take in other barn animals such as pigs and chickens or wild animals like opossums who are injured or orphaned at a young age. The Houston SPCA has separate facilities for barn animals and wild animals, in addition to the standard center for domestic animals.
Legal process
The SPCA does not have any arresting power, so they work closely with the local law enforcement to rescue animals and pursue criminal charges for animal cruelty. If owners refuse to sign the animals over to the SPCA but the animals are in danger, the deputy constable goes to a judge to get a warrant for the seizure of the animals. A court date is scheduled for a couple of days later when the owners can contest the seizure, and the judge decides whether the animals should be returned or if they should be awarded to the SPCA.
The SPCA staff take pictures of the animals and the conditions they are in to document the reasons why they think they should be awarded custody of the animals. They show these in court, along with any other evidence they or the veterinarians collect, such as proof of health conditions.
Until the SPCA is officially awarded custody of the animals by a judge in court, they are only allowed to give the animals basic medical care. This includes vaccinations and flea treatment, but does not include any type of surgery or intricate procedure, no matter how badly the animal needs it.
Once the animals are rehabilitated, cleaned, and healthy, they get a behavior check to determine if they are adoptable. They frequently go to foster homes before they are adopted into forever homes. When they are ready to be adopted, they go back to the same shelter where they were first evaluated so they can find their new families.
Cast
Head Investigators
- Jim Boller — Chief cruelty investigator (2003–2004); director of shelter & field services (2004–October 2005)
- Kristie Franks — Cruelty investigator (2005–2006); senior investigator (2006–2012)
- Charles Jantzen — Assistant chief cruelty investigator (2003–2005); chief cruelty investigator (2005–2012)
- Max Mixson — Senior cruelty investigator (2003–2004); chief cruelty investigator (2004–2005); cruelty investigator (2005–January 2006)
Cruelty Investigators
- Scott Wernick — Cruelty investigator (2004–2005)
- Barbra Christiansen — Cruelty investigator (2003–2005)
- Deborah Turner — Cruelty investigator (2003–2005)
- Sheila Kennedy — Cruelty investigator (2003–2006)
- Ernie Angerstein — Cruelty investigator (2003–2005)
- Sage (Whitney) Halford — Veterinary technician (2004–2005); cruelty investigator (2006–2008)
- Dana (Moss) Almangor — Cruelty investigator (2005–2008)
- Jennifer Francis — Cruelty investigator (2005–2007)
- Robert McClintock — Cruelty investigator (2006–2012)
- Enrique Castillo — Cruelty investigator (2007–2008)
- Debbie Michielson — Cruelty investigator (2007–2012)
- Liz Pavlicek — Cruelty investigator (2007–2013)
- Trischa Price — Cruelty investigator (2007–2012)
- Shauna Sundberg — Cruelty investigator (2007–2012)
- Randy Farmer — Cruelty investigator (2007–2012)
- Robert McCarty — Cruelty investigator (2008–2010)
- Mark Lutkenhaus — Cruelty investigator (2008–2012)
- Maverick Wagner — Cruelty investigator (2010–2012)
- Megan Leger — Cruelty investigator (2010–2012)
Law Enforcement
- Judge Dale Gorczynski — District judge, Harris County, Texas (2003–2012)
- Ana Herrera — Animal cruelty Deputy Constable
- Christine Kendrick — Deputy Constable, Harris County Precinct One Constable's Office (2003—2012)
Veterinarians & Veterinary Technicians
- Dr. Neidra Carvin — (2010–2012)
- Dr. Courtney Forbes — (2003–2006)
- Sage (Whitney) Halford — Veterinary technician (2004–2005); cruelty investigator (2006–2008)
- Dr. Cheryl Hoggard — (2010–2012)
- Dr. Barbara Kohl — (2009–2010)
- Dr. Dev Rajan — (2006–2010)
- Dr. Frank Schuman — (2010–2012)
- Dr. Catalena Thurston — (2007–2010)
- Dr. Anne Underwood — (2003–2006)
- Dr. Roberta Westbrook — (2008–2010)
SPCA Staff
- Patti Mercer — President, Houston SPCA (2003–2012)
- Meera Nandlal - Public Relations Manager (2008-2012)
- Dr. Teri Schweiss - Vice President of Animal Welfare
Documentary Staff
- Robert Leigh — Narrator (2004–2012)
- John Lurie — Narrator (2003–2004)
- Steve Wisniewski — Farrier (2005–2012)
Hurricane Katrina relief efforts
The Houston SPCA served as the coordinator of relief efforts for animals trapped in New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Many of the animals rescued in New Orleans were shipped to Houston's holding facilities for eventual reunions with their owners who had also been evacuated to Houston. The rescue efforts were featured on a 2005 Animal Planet special called Animal Planet Heroes: Hurricane Rescues.
In the fall of 2005, the staff of the Houston SPCA also assisted with the rescue of animals from the wreckage caused by Hurricane Rita along the Texas Gulf Coast. Debby MacDonald and Mark Ramos, investigators with the Michigan Humane Society, featured in Animal Cops: Detroit, went down from Detroit, Michigan, to assist their fellow investigators in the recovery; their contributions were featured in a special episode of Animal Cops: Houston in 2006.
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Hungry For Justice" | August 11, 2003 | |
| Includes horse neglect, 30 sick, injured dogs in a house and a Siberian tiger in a trailer. | ||||
| 2 | 2 | "Pigpen" | October 29, 2006 | |
| Barn animals and dogs are seized from a set of three connected properties. | ||||
| 3 | 3 | "The Wild Pack" | August 12, 2003 | |
| A dog is rescued after a car accident, a report of emaciated horses is investigated, the team receives a report of 70 dogs running wild. | ||||
| 4 | 4 | "Dirty Work" | August 13, 2003 | |
| The team discovers an abandoned dog with a broken bone and rescues ostriches. | ||||
Awards and nominations
In 2005, Animal Cops Houston won a Genesis Award in the reality programming category.