Stronger Together: ‘United Against Drug Abuse,’ the overlooked impact of addiction on animals

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) - News Channel 3 is launching a new monthly initiative examining the impact of drug addiction on individuals, families and the wider community.

“Stronger Together: United Against Drug Abuse” is presented in partnership with Mothers for Awareness and Prevention of Drug Abuse, or MAPDA. The ongoing coverage will share stories of survival, focus on prevention and connect families with information and resources that could save lives.

News Channel 3’s Karen Devine has reported on prescription drug abuse since 2009, when the growing misuse of opioid painkillers was beginning to devastate families across the country.

That coverage included an Emmy-winning story with former Congresswoman Mary Bono, who publicly discussed struggles involving opioid addiction within her own family. Bono is now the CEO of MAPDA and a leading national voice in the fight against drug abuse.

In the years since, the crisis has become even more deadly, with fentanyl poisonings claiming lives and leaving families searching for answers.

Each month, “Stronger Together” will go beyond the numbers by introducing viewers to people living through the crisis, those working to stop it and organizations offering help.

The first conversation examines a consequence of addiction that is often overlooked: what happens to animals when the people they depend on can no longer properly care for them?

Dr. Lisa Bane is a veterinarian, mother of four and MAPDA advocate who works with underserved families. She sees firsthand how addiction can affect an entire household—including its pets.

“It is one of the hardest things to work with someone who is addicted and to realize how much pain and suffering their animal is in,” Bane said. “They love their animal, but they can’t see past themselves as to the fact that that animal needs help, and it’s a really difficult place to be as a veterinarian.”

Bane recalled one recent case involving a young woman with approximately 20 to 25 dogs on her property. Many of the animals were puppies.

“Her house was filled with feces,” Bane said. “The dogs, many of them puppies, were left to eat the gravel in the yard and rocks.”

The animals were eventually brought to the clinic for treatment.

“As sad as this sounds, they literally pooped out rocks and gravel. They were not eating,” Bane said. “She loved those animals. She talked about them so ecstatically, but she had no vision outside herself to see how these animals were suffering.”

Bane said removing an animal from a dangerous situation can be difficult. Her approach begins with gaining the owner’s trust rather than responding with anger.

“The way we initiate it is through compassion,” Bane said. “If we are judgmental and come at them with anger, and we need to get that dog away, it’ll end up badly.”

Whenever possible, Bane works to persuade owners to voluntarily surrender their animals and avoid a legal battle.

“We do that by listening to their stories, by telling them that we’re there to help the pet, and that we have to gain their trust first,” she said. “It can be a long process sometimes.”

Her concern extends beyond animal welfare. Bane is also focused on young people who may turn to drugs or nicotine to cope with emotional struggles.

“I see how hard their world is right now,” Bane said. “A lot of them are facing anxiety, they’re facing stress, loneliness, and they have a predilection to self-medicate in ways that I haven’t seen like this before.”

Bane believes the connection between addiction and animal suffering could help young people understand how substance use can eventually affect everyone who depends on them.

“Showing kids that addiction could lead to all the ways that you can mistreat animals might be one way to reach them,” she said.

“Stronger Together: United Against Drug Abuse” will continue each month on News Channel 3, with extended coverage and resources available on KESQ.com.