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After decades protecting Pa. animals: 'I don't have much longer'

Pennsylvania SPCA Officer George Bengal has been blessed with a good marriage, a wonderful family and a "damn good career."

George Bengal, Pennsylvania SPCA Director of Humane Law Enforcement  is greeted by his friends and colleagues who came together to honor him.
George Bengal, Pennsylvania SPCA Director of Humane Law Enforcement is greeted by his friends and colleagues who came together to honor him.Read moreED HILLE / Staff Photographer

Pennsylvania SPCA Officer George Bengal has been blessed with a good marriage, a wonderful family and a "damn good career."

His 22 years in Humane Law Enforcement have included close encounters with poop and pee, an occasional nip or scratch, but also plenty of grateful licks and thousands of animals rescued from fighting rings squalor, mistreatment, illness and death.

That career is coming to an end sooner than Bengal expected, due to a rare and fast-moving form of terminal cancer.

On his last visit to the SPCA shelter where he worked, Bengal, 69, said he is concerned about what will happen to his life's work when his own life is done.

"It is not about me, it is about continuing this work after I am gone," Bengal said, his voice wavering. "If we don't do this, there is no one to step up and do the work."

For two decades, Bengal had been the face of humane law enforcement in the Philadelphia region and beyond.

On Thursday, amid a deluge of tears, hugs and well-wishes, about 75 friends and co-workers gathered at the Erie Avenue shelter for a luncheon and to say good-bye.

Honoring the man they all call a friend and mentor, the shelter has started The George Bengal Fund to End Animal Cruelty, to help sustain their work in prosecuting animal cruelty cases. About 40 percent of the Pennsylvania SPCA's $10 million yearly budget goes to Humane Law Enforcement, said CEO Jerry Buckley.

Bengal was diagnosed in February with Stage IV peritoneal mesothelioma, a rare and terminal cancer. He suspects his military service during the Vietnam War may have exposed him to asbestos, a known cause of the cancer.

"I don't have much longer," Bengal said in an interview Thursday. About 40 pounds thinner than before he got sick, Bengal was quick to tears and just as quick with a smile as he talked about his career.

After Vietnam, Bengal became a Philadelphia police officer. He worked major crimes, narcotics, and SWAT before being assigned to the K-9 unit and teamed up with Sparky, a bomb detection dog.

After 22 years with the police, he retired and launched another 20-year career advocating for animals.

He worked with the Women's Humane Society and the Delaware County SPCA before moving to the Pennsylvania SPCA around 2005.

He and his team were profiled on the TV show "Animal Cops Philadelphia" and in a National Geographic show, "Philly Undercover."

"He has always had our back," said Justine Calgiano, director of public relations at the Delaware County SPCA. "We felt confident to have George as a contact and resource."

Looking over his career, Bengal recalled a few memorable cases.

In one case, SPCA officers had been called to a North Philadelphia home to rescue an emaciated dog, and were getting ready to leave.

"I heard this whimper," said Bengal.

He looked out into the postage stamp-sized backyard, piled high with trash, old mattresses and garbage bags. He heard another whimper. His team dug into the debris and found an emaciated pit bull tied to a downspout. The dog was so sick, it took more than four weeks before it could stand on its own, he said.

"Every one pulled out is a life saved," said Bengal.

Jennifer Utley, the wife of former Phillies 2nd-baseman Chase Utley, described Bengal as an "unbelievable mentor" whose dedication inspired her. Utley began as a volunteer and later served on the SPCA's Board of Directors.

"He is a doer and a fixer," Utley said "When you see someone so dedicated to a cause, it is infectious."

Bengal's "commitment to abused and neglected animals was unbelievable," said Barbara Paul, an assistant district attorney who worked with Bengal on animal cruelty cases.

"He was an incredible resource to learn how to prosecute these cases," said Paul. As a former police officer, Bengal understood what was needed to prosecute a case and made sure the evidence was well documented, search warrants were in order, affidavits were well drafted and the arrests were done properly, she said.

Bengal is concerned that the Humane Law Enforcement bureaus may be in danger. Around the country, SPCA branches are struggling to raise funds, and cutting back on their programs. The State Police, Philadelphia police, and other local law enforcement agencies do not have personnel specifically looking at animal abuse, he said.

"That is a problem," he said. The costs to have a humane law department go beyond the officers and their uniforms. It includes money for the treatment and housing for the animals, he said.

"I want to see this program supported," he said.

mschaefer@phillynews.com

215-854-4908

@MariSchaefer

To donate to The George Bengal Fund to End Animal Cruelty, call (215) 426-6300, option 6, or visit www.pspca.org.