Animal advocate leads fight for justice: Prosecutor recognized by Dakin Humane Society

Northwestern Assistant District Attorney Erin Aiello was honored by Dakin Humane Society last week in recognition of her work on behalf of animals. She received the Frances M. Wells Award, given to an individual for notable contributions to the health and welfare of animals.

Northwestern Assistant District Attorney Erin Aiello was honored by Dakin Humane Society last week in recognition of her work on behalf of animals. She received the Frances M. Wells Award, given to an individual for notable contributions to the health and welfare of animals. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Assistant District Attorney Erin Aiello receiving an award from the Dakin Humane Society for her work in helping form the Animal Protection Task Force.

Assistant District Attorney Erin Aiello receiving an award from the Dakin Humane Society for her work in helping form the Animal Protection Task Force. —CONTRIBUTED/NORTHWESTERN DA

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

Staff Writer

Published: 09-22-2024 10:48 AM

NORTHAMPTON — Even before she arrived at the Northwestern district attorney’s office in 2019, Erin Aiello had a history of helping animals.

In 2016, as an attorney in private practice, she represented a local chapter of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) on one of the largest investigations of animal cruelty in the history of the commonwealth. She helped prosecute the owner of a farm in the Bristol County town of Westport and 26 of the farm’s tenants on 151 counts of animal cruelty, with around 1,400 animals found in overcrowded and dangerous living conditions.

“Probably one of the biggest factors that affect the work of animal cruelty is that you take an animal, it has to go somewhere and it becomes an expense,” Aiello said. “Animals, especially animals that are in need whether they’ve been neglected or there’s intentional cruelty, those require vet bills, and if you have pets you know how expensive that can be.”

After joining the Northwestern DA’s office as a prosecutor in the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Unit, Aiello led the office in creating an Animal Protection Task Force, allowing for better coordination between local animal control officers, the sheriff’s departments in Hampshire and Franklin County, and the DA’s office.

“The goal of the Animal Protection Task Force was to pool resources in our respective areas,” Aiello said. “We’re doing a lot of local training, and we’re trying to really focus on educating. One of our goals is to be able to educate the community about the resources that do exist.”

Aiello emphasized that there were two types of cases in terms of animal cruelty cases — neglect and intentional. In many cases of neglect, Aiello said that sometimes it comes from the owner living in poverty and that the goal is to simply help the individual to get in compliance with keeping their pet healthy. “It is not the goal of the DA’s office and it’s not the goal of the animal control officers to punish poverty or seize your dog,” she said.

With regards to more intentional animal cruelty cases, Aiello said it was important to her as a domestic violence attorney to note that animal cruelty and domestic violence cases are often linked.

“We see a lot of cases with respect to domestic violence because animals there are being used as a tool,” Aiello said. “If you leave me, I’m going to hurt your animal.”

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In recognition of her work in creating the Animal Protection Task Force, Aiello has received awards from the Animal Control Officers Association of Massachusetts, as well as from the Dakin Humane Society of Springfield, which last month awarded her the Frances M. Wells Award for notable contributions to the health and welfare of animals.

“Erin is a fierce advocate for the welfare of animals. She trains people nationally to use best practices in their efforts to ensure proper treatment of animals,” said District Attorney David Sullivan in a statement regarding the Dakin award. “We are fortunate to have her in the office and in our community.”

Aiello emphasized that through her work delivering justice for animals, she’s also delivering justice for humans as well.

“A lot of people care about animals but there really is a lot of the work we do that is still connected to human crimes and the human element,” she said. “When we’re helping animals, we really are helping humans too.”

Of course, Aiello understands the needs of pet owners because she’s one herself. She recently adopted a kitten, Georgie (named after George Washington) from the Animal Rescue League in Boston.

“He’s been in the teething stage,” Aiello said of her new cat. “So I’m covered in cuts and scratches right now.”

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.