Animal Cops Houston

Animal Planet’s "Animal Cops: Houston" television series has made local and national heroes of the Houston SPCA’s dedicated team of Animal Cruelty Investigators.  The men and women of The Houston SPCA remain focused on one thing… saving animal lives in the nation’s fourth largest city! 

"Animal Cops: Houston" continues to be one of Animal Planet’s most highly rated humane law programming shows.  Animal Planet, available in more than 85 million homes nationwide, is the only television network dedicated exclusively to the connection between humans and animals.  The network’s unique programming brings together people of all ages by tapping into a fundamental fascination with animals and providing an entertaining mix of programming, including original movies, adventure series, sports, drama and sitcoms.

We are all very proud to be part of this series, so tune into "Animal Cops: Houston" on Animal Planet and see what all the talk is about!

Meet the Investigations Team:

Charles Jantzen 

Charles Jantzen, Chief Cruelty Investigator for the Houston SPCA, has worked in animal welfare for 9 years. He has attended the National Cruelty Investigators School, National Equine Cruelty Investigations School, a range of animal rescue courses and FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute. Jantzen leads a team of eight highly dedicated professional individuals who investigate more than 15,000 cases of animal neglect and cruelty in an area that encompasses over 8,000 square miles of Southeast Texas. Throughout Jantzen’s career, he has helped provide relief to animals following a range of natural disasters including: Hurricanes, Tornados, Flooding and Fire events across the country. Jantzen has also conducted animal related training courses across the United States for Humane Investigators, Law Enforcement and others in the legal community.

Shawn Sundberg

I was born and raised in a small town in Iowa and moved to Texas shortly after I graduated High School. I lived in Dallas for about 6 years where I received an associates degree in applied sciences. I worked in the entertainment Industry for 13 years and realized that my true calling was helping animals so I went back to school and studied courses in the Veterinary Technician field. I started working for the Houston SPCA in 2006 as a Rescue Technician and joined the Animal Cruelty Investigations Team about a year later. I have completed the National Cruelty Investigations School levels I,II &III through the University of Missouri Law Enforcement Training Institute and Code 3 Associate, Inc. and have been certified in Animal Cruelty Investigation. I have completed several courses through FEMA in emergency management and animal disease response. I have also completed training in Big Useful Livestock Lessons though the Colorado State University and Code 3 Associates, Large Animal Rescue and have attended multiple tactical animal rescue trainings. I find it very rewarding to be able to give the animals I work with every day a voice and find that educating the public in what Texas law requires of a pet owner and the proper care of their pet is an important step in the fight against animal cruelty.

Bob McClintock

For over 20 years I was a federal investigator, however, I became interested in becoming an animal cruelty investigator after watching “Animal Cops Houston,” on Animal Planet. I had the desire to do something to ease the suffering of animals in my community. So one day, I logged onto the Houston SPCA website and saw that there was an opening for a cruelty investigator and as you can see, the rest is history. I see my position with the Houston SPCA as having two parts. Part one is to protect animals for being treated cruelly and part two is to educate people on the proper care, custody and control of their animals. I would like to see the laws regarding animal welfare in our country to be updated and for the general public to take these laws more seriously. I have a great love for all animals and believe that every animal has the right to live out its life without being treated inhumanely in any manner. Seeing an animal recover and being placed in a loving home is the greatest part of my job.

Randy Farmer

I grew up on an Angus farm in West Central Illinois where animals were a part of my family. At a very young age I was exposed to working with all kinds of animals from cattle to horses. While attending La Harpe High School in Illinois, I was involved in FFA where I was the Chapter Officer and Section Officer. In addition, I was in 4-H for a number of years where I eventually became a 4-H leader. I enjoyed showing animals, and attending horse, cattle and hog shows. In college, I majored in law enforcement which combined with my love for animal welfare has given me the passion to help those who are being treated inhumanely. As a cruelty investigator for the Houston SPCA, I feel immense self satisfaction by making a difference not just for the animals, but to the people as well. I can truly say I love my job because it is very gratifying to see an animal go from a bad situation into a loving, permanent home. When I’m not working I enjoy spending time with my two year old Great Dane, Daisy.

Mark Lutkenhaus

I was born in Lindsay, Texas and attended Texas A&M University. I am nearly finished with my B.S. in Agriculture Leadership & Development. Growing up, I was around animals as much as I could, between animals on the farm and 4-H projects. My background expanded to work as an Animal Control Officer for the City of College Station for three years. I am a Certified Animal Control Officer, Level 1 Certified Cruelty Investigator through A.C.C.I, and trained in Local Rabies Control through Texas Department State Health & Human Services. Through my training and experience I hope to be able to educate people on how to properly care for their animals and help animals in need. It is my goal to continue my education in Animal Husbandry and Criminal Justice to better assist the people of my community and the animals that need someone to speak for them.

Liz Pavlicek

I’m proud to be a native Houstonian working at the Houston SPCA as an Animal Cruelty Investigator. I share my home with two cats and a Pomeranian. I earned my Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice at Sam Houston State University. I became involved with Animal Welfare during my University studies. I received the opportunity to serve as an intern with the Houston SPCA Animal Cruelty Investigations Department. Because of that experience, I decided to pursue this career upon graduation. I am excited about being a Houston SPCA Investigator because I look forward to helping animals in need. I look forward to working alongside law enforcement to stop current animal cruelty and prevent it from happening in the future. I believe that education about animal cruelty should start early. I am a very compassionate person and I believe that every animal deserves to live its life free of any form of cruelty. Animal are amazingly resilient and many times no matter how badly they were treated, they learn to trust and love humans again. They give us second chances and just like us, they deserve a second chance.

Debbie Michielson

I was born in Florida to a Navy family but grew up in Virginia. I have held various jobs but found my true calling when I began work in the animal control field. I worked in this industry for 10 years in Virginia and Texas. I have also volunteered at a zoo as an educational guide and keeper aide. I helped implement a program used nationwide by circuses on how to conduct inspections on circus animals to make sure they are being cared for and treated properly. I love working with and helping save animals. I like to see them recover and make it to a new home. I think education of the public is key to creating a better society for our animals. I started an educational program in Norfolk for ages 2 years through adults. The program focused on proper animal care and the laws governing the animals. My job with the Houston SPCA allows me to directly educate the public about how Texas law says we must care for our animals. I would like to continue to be instrumental in public education and hope to be involved in animal welfare for the rest of my life.

Maverick Wagner

I was born and raised in Houston, Texas, making me a proud native Houstonian. I have always had a heart for animals and have always been an advocate for animal welfare. After I graduated high school, I moved to Huntsville, Texas, where I attended Sam Houston State University. Through college I worked full-time as a correctional officer at a maximum security penitentiary. After 4 years of hard work, I received B.S. degrees in Criminal Justice and Psychology. I moved back to Houston and stumbled upon the opportunity to apply to be an Animal Cruelty Investigator. Needless to say, I jumped at the chance and was hired. The best part about being and investigator is, at the end of every day, knowing that I have made a difference in the life of at least one animal. It is always rewarding to see the lives of animals improve by educating owners on proper animal husbandry or helping animals out of a very bad situation and seeing them adopted into great forever homes. I am proud to say that I have pets at home that are rescue pets and will continue to devote much time and effort into animal welfare.

Megan Leger

I was raised in Sugar Land, Texas. I graduated from Lamar Consolidated HS where I was highly involved in FFA. I held many leadership offices within my FFA chapter.  But my love of animals is what steered me to the show team. I was very successful with my county and state steer, heifer, and swine projects. My experience that I gained in high school agriculture classes is what made me pursue a career that shared my love of animals and teaching. I graduated from Sam Houston State University with an BS in Agriculture Science and minor in secondary education. My plan was to be an Agriculture Science teacher, but when this job was presented to me I took it. It combines my experience and love for animals as well being able to use my education background to educate the public on Texas Animal Laws. My favorite part of the job is to see those animals that are being treated inhumanely get a second chance at life . It is the greatest feeling when you take animal that is scared and afraid and get to watch them grow into a loving and healthy member of someone’s family.

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