April 10, 1866

Henry Bergh (August 29, 1813 to March 12, 1888) founded the American Society Prevention of Cruelty to Animals on April 10, 1866. Bergh was born to affluence and pursued artistic ambitions before the work which earned him a place in American history: his animal and child welfare work. And his fortune also funded reports on the progress of the societies he established. Like this report from which we cite:

Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in New York State
Volume 3 of Bulletin of Social Legislation
Issue 3 of Bulletin of social legislation on the Henry Bergh Foundation for the Promotion of Humane Education
written by Floyd Morse Hubbard (1915)

Below are some statistics. The numbers can be sad, so I am just pulling out a few, to tell a story, and it must be noted, the numbers in this report, covering 1914, were already selected to give a sense of the societies' work and not meant as  a comprehensive overview.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was incorporated in 1866 with jurisdiction to operate anywhere within the boundaries of the state..... The Society now has twenty-eight salaried agents [in New York City and environs] patrolling the streets with power to interfere in cases of cruelty and to make arrests when deemed necessary. It is the declared policy of the Society not to make arrests if any other method of procedure seems warranted, and the agents are instructed to render assistance whenever they find horses stalled or fallen. In slippery weather practically all their time is given to this kind of relief work and arrests are in abeyance. ....

The following tables are given merely to illustrate some of the details of the work done by societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals. ...The relative jurisdiction of these organizations is indicated by the figures showing area and population of the respective counties (taken from the New York State Legislative Manual for 1914).....

...
The Mohawk And Hudson River Humane Society.

Jurisdiction: Sixteen counties ...
Area: Approximately one-third of total area of state.
Central Department (Albany and Rensselaer
counties), 1,204 square miles.
Population: For sixteen counties, approximately one-
tenth total population of state.
....

[In this population we find a line stating]

....cats rescued from trees 26
.....
Stevens-swan Humane Society.....
Jurisdiction: Oneida County.
Area, 1,215 square miles.
.....

STATISTICAL REPORT, ANIMAL DEPARTMENT

Number of complaints 512
Number of animals investigated 3,115
Horses sent to stable 50
Horses sent to hospital 6
Horses sent to blacksmith shop 10
Horses helped on street 13
Horses blanketed 11
Unloaded vehicles 4
...
Dead horses ordered buried 2
Owners and drivers admonished 123
Found homes for horses 2
Found owners for lost horses 1
...
Cats abandoned 45
Homes found for cats 11
Cats from trees and poles 7
....


Though these numbers are not really totals, these statistics give a sense of the progress with animal protection almost 50 years after Bergh's work. The fact blankets were given to 11 horses, is just for part of the New York state area. The numbers are for 1914.