Officer

PSPCA Warns of Group Impersonating Animal Officers

A group impersonating animal control officers from the Pennsylvania SPCA (PSPCA) seems to be committing acts more and more frequently and they're warning animal owners to be vigilant in checking credentials, according to a spokesperson for the agency.

Gillian Kocher from the PSPCA says that in the last month, there have been at least five cases of dogs being stolen or attempted to be stolen.

Real PSPCA officers will be in uniform and have both a badge and an ID card from the state, Kocher says. Officers would only be in plainclothes if they were undercover, but that is rare.

A Northeast Philadelphia woman complained to NBC10 in January that a group of animal activists came to her home and pretended to be animal control officers.

They claimed her Rottweiler was being abused after seeing a photo circulate on social media. The PSPCA had already determined the dog was being cared for properly, officials said.

The 8-year-old dog wound up in New York state before the PSPCA stepped in and returned the canine to his owner.

The group members denied saying they were with animal control.

Kocher says if there are ever any concerns over whether or not an officer is really with the PSPCA, people can call the cruelty hotline at 866-601-SPCA.

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