What you can do to help stop animal abuse

Every state has laws prohibiting animal cruelty, and all of them contain felony provisions in some circumstances. However, a law is only as good as its enforcement, and that’s why animals rely on you to protect them by reporting animal abuse.

Defining Cruelty

Most reported animal cruelty comes in the form of neglect, with direct violence occurring less frequently. Oftentimes, it can be difficult to gauge whether or not you’ve witnessed animal cruelty–the following examples may help you categorize suspected cruelty and report it to authorities.

Neglect

Neglect, or a failure to provide an animal’s basic needs, can be found in every community. Neglect takes the form of a lack of clean food or water, lack of adequate shelter or veterinary care, tethering and abandonment, as well as other forms of abuse.

Direct Abuse

It can be very upsetting to see someone beating or physically attacking an animal, but it’s important not to turn away. It’s crucial to involve law enforcement quickly so that you can help to save that animal’s life, prevent future abuse and to hold abusers accountable. Violence toward animals is often part of a larger pattern of violence that can include people as well.

Reporting Abuse

If you witness suspected cruelty to animals, dial 911.

If your area lacks the proper animal welfare agency, and your local authorities are not equipped to deal with animal cruelty cases, you can also email or call the Humane Society of the United States and ask to speak with one of our experts about the suspected abuse.

Be sure to document the case as well as you can, with dates, times, specific details and, if possible, footage and photographs from a cell phone. All of these things can help appropriate agencies during any investigation they may do of the suspected cruelty.

Severe Neglect

Severe neglect may take the form of housing more animals than a person is able to adequately take care of. Contact your local animal control agency if you find out about severe neglect cases. Some situations can be more difficult than others to solve.

Lack of Veterinary Care

Untreated wounds are a red flag that demands immediate attention; emaciation, scabs and hair loss can also be signs of untreated diseases. If you can, alert the owner to the animal’s condition and alert local authorities of suspected neglect as soon as possible.

Inadequate Shelter

Extreme heat or cold can be deadly. It can seem daunting or unnecessary to report neglect for inadequate sheltering, but conditions can change quickly, causing suffering or even death of the animal. Contact a local animal control agency immediately if you see an animal in inadequate shelter and document the incident with a cell phone camera if possible.

Chained Dogs

Dogs who are tethered continuously suffer tremendously, both from social isolation and exposure to predators and the elements.

Abandonment

A startling number of animals die every year when people move out of their residences and simply leave the animals behind.

Sometimes, an abandoned dog’s barking or cat’s howling can alert the neighbors, but it’s wise to keep an eye on a recently vacated home, especially if the former residents moved suddenly. Companion animals kept in cages or tanks are often overlooked upon a resident’s sudden passing, and may suffer neglect as well. If you find or know of abandoned animals, contact your local animal control agency immediately.

Pets Left in Cars

Time is of the essence when reporting pets left in parked cars. Even if the outside temperature seems cool, these animals could be minutes away from death or irreversible organ damage. If you cannot locate the owner immediately, don’t be afraid to call local authorities, detailing your location and the make, model and license plate number of the vehicle the animal is inside.

Beating and Physical Abuse

If you witness direct physical violence to an animal, report the incident immediately to authorities. If you decide to intervene in any way, use your best judgment and do not become physically involved in the situation; remember, even well-intentioned actions could compromise the process of investigation into suspected abuse.

Animal Fighting and Organized Cruelty

Organized cruelty, such as dogfighting and cockfighting, is illegal in all 50 states, and is linked to other criminal activities such as human violence, gambling and drug distribution. If you hear about or witness events like these, immediately report them to the local authorities and the Humane Society of the United States. These are just common examples of animal cruelty. Even if a case doesn’t fit neatly into these categories, take action If something feels off. In many cases, you may be the only chance an animal has at escaping cruelty or neglect.

Source: https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/report-animal-cruelty