Annemarie Lucas’ job as a Supervisor of Special Investigations in the Humane Law Enforcement (HLE) of the ASPCA is a far cry from her original aspirations. Armed with a fine arts degree, Lucas moved to New York to pursue a career on Broadway.
An animal lover, she was struck by the neglect of the “carriage horses” that lined the sidewalks. Her epiphany came after being bitten on the shoulder while trying to pet one of these mistreated horses. The scar she still bears was instrumental in her move to working for animal welfare.
She volunteered in a no-kill animal shelter on Long Island, New York and was eventually hired. Lucas worked in the care, feeding, and potential adoption of two-hundred cats and thirty dogs. Struck by an advertisement in an ASPCA publication for jobs with the HLE, she realized “That’s me, that’s where I’m supposed to be.” The first woman hired in over ten years, Lucas felt she brought a more compassionate element to her unit.
Fifteen people comprise the Unit she supervises. They handle four thousand cases annually. Daily an agent can handle one case or upwards of ten. What does Lucas love most about her job? “Rescuing is the best!” she continues, “I can actually step up and hold someone accountable for their actions.” She always follows through with her cases. She risks her life in order for animals to have safe homes with owners who will love and respect them.
While Annemarie Lucas’ job undoubtedly has many rewards, the worst part, according to her, is arriving too late to help the animal in need.“My heart breaks every day.” One of her most memorable and horrific experiences involved Sparkles, a dog who was beaten severely because of an uncontrollable medical condition. Five years later, she can still hear the dog’s cry when it expected to be beaten by Lucas instead of saved by her. While the owners were arrested, Sparkles suffering was too great and euthanizing was the only humane option left.
Her cases are not always residential. Many of her cases involved dog-fighting and cock-fighting. These “past-times” are usually controlled by gangs. She has been cornered by gang-members, and at one point was sent a dead cat as a warning to back off of a case. Annemarie Lucas is a hero among heroes. She alters the lives of animals and the people who bring them into their homes and hearts.
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