Other times, they're heartbreaking.
But for Falls Police Officer Dave Bower, the department's new animal cruelty investigator, there's no other post he'd rather fill.
"I really enjoyed my time out on patrol," Bower, a more than 23-year veteran of department, said. "But this, I'm loving it. You know, the animals don't have a voice, but now I can help them."
The idea for a full-time animal cruelty investigator sprang from ongoing talks between the Falls and the SPCA of Niagara over plans for the city to take over the job of animal control.
"We identified that we had an exorbitant number of animal cruelty cases," Falls Police Superintendent Bryan DalPorto said. "And they were falling by the wayside because no one was investigating them. They needed some follow through."
The SPCA of Niagara, at one time, had an animal cruelty investigator. But SPCA Executive Director Amy Lewis said there's no money for that now.
"Our budget doesn't allow for an animal cruelty investigator on staff," she said. "It's great that (Falls police) have dedicated an officer to that purpose."
Bower, who serves on the SPCA's Board of Directors, had been doing animal abuse investigations, along with fellow and former board members Bryan Barish and Lockport Police Chief Larry Eggert, on a volunteer basis. Lewis said the amount of work involved in animal cruelty cases makes a full-time investigator a much smarter approach.
"Especially in the summer, when the volume of (cruelty) cases tends to increase," Lewis said. "Falls police picked the perfect time to transition (Bower) into that role."
DalPorto agreed that Bower was a perfect choice for a tough job.
"He had done some animal cruelty investigations for the SPCA and we thought we could use that expertise," DalPorto said.
Bower said one of the things his animal cruelty training had taught him is that animal abusers are frequently involved in other types of criminal activity. He said, for example, he meets regularly with domestic violence investigators to see if may be evidence of animal abuse with the suspects in their cases.
On a recent police investigation of a problem-plagued Niagara Falls Boulevard motel, in addition to city building, electrical and fire inspectors, Bower was also called to the scene.
"He is an additional tool when we're investigating other crimes," DalPorto said.
Bower has been in his new post for about seven weeks. He has already tallied six arrests and has a couple more pending.
"I've got a heavy caseload already," he said, "And this has just been the tip of the iceberg."
Both Lewis and DalPorto noted that animal cruelty cases usually require a great deal of time and manpower. Bower said he spent lots of time in an effort to catch a 24th Street man who was suspected of regularly beating his three dogs.
"I'd get numerous calls, numerous calls that he's beating the his animals," Bower said. "Patrol officers will go there and they wouldn't see (the abuse) and (the suspect) would say, 'There's nothing wrong. Everything's fine.' "
But Bower had a dogged determination to catch the suspect, so he repeatedly returned to the neighborhood, looking for witnesses to the animal beatings who could help him make his case. Many times, witnesses to animal abuse don't want to get involved.
"I finally got a witness to come forward and say they saw him beating his dogs," Bower said.
Armed with that information, Bower was finally able to arrest the suspect on a charge of animal cruelty. He was also charged having unlicensed animals and having more dogs, three, then permitted in a single home.
The SPCA seized the dogs, a trio of pit bulls, and they are currently being cared for at their shelter.
"It's sad to see these animals abused," Bower said. "The toughest part is seeing emaciated animals, and animals that have been kept in basements and just used for breeding."
Still, not all of Bower's cases are sad. Sometimes his efforts can bring joy to an animal lover.
When someone stole Clifford Gregg's son's dog, his wife posted a picture of the missing pooch, a two-year-old female shepherd, on Facebook. Not long after that, someone else posted a reply that they had seen the dog at a nearby home.
Gregg called the Falls police.
"And the dispatcher told me they had a special unit now to handle these kind of things," Gregg said.
Bower responded and within a matter of hours was able to reunite Gregg and his son with their pet.
"It was great," Gregg said. "I'm glad they've done this."
That sentiment was also echoed by the SPCA's Lewis.
"I talk to Dave just about every day," she said. "He's always investigating something. Maybe this will make people think twice about abusing their animals."
REPORT ABUSE If you have witnessed or suspect animal abuse in Niagara Falls, you can file a confidential tip by calling 286-4711.
(Niagara Gazette - June 15, 2014)
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