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Reporting animal cruelty,
neglect and abuse
What constitutes cruelty, neglect, abuse?
Failure to provide adequate food, water and shelter constitutes
neglect. The use of physical force sufficient to cause injury
to an animal constitutes abuse. Abuse and neglect to animals
constitutes cruelty, which is against the law in most states.
How will you know when to report it?
You only have to suspect an animal is being neglected or
mistreated in order to report it to the humane society. You
may contact your local humane society officer by looking up
their phone number in the local phone book. It is helpful
if you look at the following conditions closely before you
call to report:
- Is the animal not being fed, or is the animal fed out of
your sight (perhaps food is being placed inside the dog
house)? Is the animal not receiving water or is the animal
knocking over water immediately after the bowl is filled?
- Does the animal have appropriate shelter from wind, rain and
snow? Is shade available for hot weather? Does size of the
shelter fit the size of the animal? Too large or too small
is not appropriate for proper care.
- Is the animal's coat shiny or dull with hair missing? Are his/her
eyes clear and bright or dull? Does the animal appear energetic
or listless? Hair missing, dull eyes and listlessness can
be signs that one or more problems exist.
- Remember not to alter the conditions the animal is living in before
calling the humane society. If you feed or water the animal
for example, it will be difficult to determine neglect of
the animal when the officer arrives. When assessing the
animal's condition, be sure not to put yourself at risk.
We encourage you to contact the humane society instead of
attempting to remove the animal yourself. We can assure
the law is followed properly in this instance.
More on animal abuse:
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