SALINAS, Calif. -- Central Coast News is gearing up for the SPCA Pet Telethon just three days away.
Our crew went out with one of the SPCA's humane officers to get a feel for how they work throughout the county on a daily basis.
Officer Cecilio Lozano took us to a home on Bunker Hill Road in Salinas where he said the dog owner was busted for having her pet tied up illegally to a post.
"We try to make it easy on them, just tell them it's a simple welfare check and if everything is taken care of, the animals being housed, fed right and it's in good condition, there's nothing they should be afraid of," Lozano said.
Lozano went to knock on the owner's door to make sure the dog had freedom to roam around. No one was home. But since then, things have been worked out with the dog's owner.
He is one of several humane officers for the SPCA for Monterey County that responds to about six to eight calls a day.
Last year alone, they received more than 800 complaints, including 241 animals rescued or surrendered, and six prosecutions.
"My biggest concern is officer safety," Lozano said.
Lozano also took Central Coast News to Middlefield Road in the outskirts of Salinas, an area known for cockfighting. In 2011, the SPCA seized birds from a ring in Aromas.
Lozano said the big part of the job is education, telling people how to best take care of their pets.
The SPCA for Monterey County has three humane officers and one community service officer.
The Pet Telethon is on Saturday.
