The Tale of Animal Cruelty
Many of us are animal lovers, and these special creatures can strike us right in our hearts with just a glance. It is a sad fact of life, however, that there are people out there who do not treat the animals that they have been charged with caring for, fairly or correctly.
Instead, they treat animals cruelly by abusing and neglecting them. But how can you recognize abuse or animal cruelty when you see it? What should you do if you happen to see or notice an animal in a cruel situation or being abused?
Animal Abuse: What Is It?
Animal abuse is a wide term that incorporates a lot of different actions and behaviors. It includes being cruel towards an animal, but it also includes neglecting your responsibilities in caring for an animal you have been tasked with caring for. These animals can be a pet, livestock, or part of any other type of human-animal relationship.
The most commonly reported animals to be abused are dogs, cats, horses, and other livestock animals. Although, livestock animals are afforded such low levels of protection by anti-cruelty laws in most states that few cases of livestock cruelty or abuse ever see the light of a courtroom.
Dogs and cats, on the other hand, are afforded the highest level of protection under state and local anti-animal-cruelty laws, and often felony-level charges are brought against those who break these laws. Even first-time offenders can expect to face felony charges.
This is often becoming the case in most states and municipalities, thanks to the efforts of many grassroots animal welfare groups. It was not always this way, and in certain locations it still is hard to prosecute those who abuse or neglect their pets.
Dogs Being Abused Happens All Too Often...
Still, the abuse of dogs continues to be a major issue, even in the United States. About 65% of all abused animals are dogs according to some studies (https://petpedia.co/animal-abuse-statistics/).
Dogs are abused in many ways, including the direct abuse of whipping, beating, or causing other physical harm or they are abused by indirect means like neglect, being kept in unsanitary conditions, being left outside no matter the weather, and being left without proper access to water and food.
There are many dog breeds specifically that get abused more than others. For example, Pitbulls are all too often used in dogfighting rings. Then, there are those greyhounds which are bred and harmed in the dog racing industry.
When it comes to greyhounds, all those not deemed worthy of becoming champion level racers are killed inhumanely and many are never cared for adequately in the first place. Even the winners rarely make it to the “retirement” age of 4 to 5 years old because of the conditions they are kept in and the horrible ways they are treated.
A lot of these industries and examples are purposely hidden from the public eye. However, once you get a peek behind the curtains, it is hard to turn a blind eye to this kind of neglect and abuse. Now, how can you be sure that what you have witnessed was abuse and then what can you do about it if it was?
Animal Abuse - How to Recognize It:
If you think you have seen an animal in an abusive or cruel situation, you should absolutely report it. How do you know for sure if an animal is being abused or neglected though? Well, there are a couple of aspects that are telltale signs of animal abuse.
First, does the animal have adequate essentials like water, food, and shelter? If any animal is living without access to any one of these three then you can and should act to resolve the situation. All animals should have these basic three needs met every single day in an adequate amount. For example, being offered water once a day is not adequate, but having a water dish that gets filled up regularly would be.
For some animals, being offered food just once a day is enough, depending on the animal and amount of food. So, it can be tricky to tell if an animal is being starved, especially during the early stages.
However, if you can see an animal's ribs protruding out from under their skin or fur and you can see individual rib bones, then chances are high that that animal is not being fed adequate amounts of food and you should step in to do something to help, if possible and while remaining reasonable. Sometimes, a little bit of education is all it takes to remedy one of these situations.
Finally, all animals should be allowed to have enough shelter to keep them out of the elements and if they do not have this, then they are probably being neglected in some manner.
For example, a dog can be chained up in a back or front yard during a summer afternoon. If they have a shaded area to escape the direct sunshine or at least a covered area to escape some passing rain showers, then they are most likely just fine (they should also have plenty of water available in this scenario).
But, if they are out there in that same situation but on a short chain with no way to get to a shaded area out of direct sunshine, then their needs are being neglected and the animal is in trouble of experiencing some bad health conditions or even death.
So, if you do happen to see an animal being neglected or abused, then what can you do about it?
Animal Abuse- What You Can Do About It:
There are a few options available when it comes to helping an animal get out of a bad situation. If the person neglecting the animal is a friend or neighbor - and it is not a serious/immediate danger case - then one route to try is to simply offer to take the dog on a daily walk for them or just ask if the dog can come to hang with you in the afternoon instead of being left chained up in the yard.
This is an indirect way of letting the person know that they are not properly caring for their animal and that you are watching. You never know, it may just get them to take action towards caring for their pet better. If not, then at least you have an open ended and non-confrontational opportunity to remove the animal from the situation. At that point you can take it somewhere where its needs will be met, like an animal rescue nonprofit or a shelter.
On the other hand, what if you see a farm animal like a horse being abused or neglected? In these cases, you do have some outlets or options for reporting the issue, but it has to be a fairly extreme case before the municipal powers will act on the situation by removing the animals and penalizing the owner with a cruelty charge.
The penalties for these types of charges changes and sometimes immense fines can be levied against someone based on where/how the animal was kept. The owner of a neglected farm animal can see the outcome of their subsequent court case end up being them facing anything from a simple slap on the wrist to some seriously detrimental felony charges.
The more people like you and I push for there to be harsher punishments against these people who abuse any type of animal, then the more things will change and the harsher the punishments will get.
These types of laws vary from state to state and even city to city, but all of the United States is now covered with federal level anti-cruelty laws that protect all animals from neglect and abuse. This was not always the case and the United States has only just begun to see big changes happen in the last few years.
Check out the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) for their yearly report on which states have the strongest anti-cruelty laws and who has the weakest ones that need to be worked on and changed. You can find these state law rankings by ALDF at https://aldf.org/project/us-state-rankings/.
Animal Abuse- Who to Contact If You See Abuse or Cruelty:
If you witness any animal abuse by either neglect or cruelty, then there are a few options you have for reporting it. First, if it is an extreme case or the animal's life is in immediate danger, then you can call your local law enforcement through their non-emergency line or even 911 if you believe it is serious enough to warrant immediate attention. These situations can range from anything like a dog left in a hot car, in which case you may have other options depending on your state, to an animal you suspect is being severely abused or otherwise neglected by their owner.
In the case of a dog left in a hot car, in some states like Oregon, California, Illinois, or Colorado, you can be relieved of any civil liability if you were to break into the vehicle to get the dog out of this kind of life-threatening situation. This even applies if you have to break a window to get the puppy from the hot car, but remember that this depends on what state you live in as to what lengths you can go to save a dog from a sweltering hot vehicle. You should also not be fooled, outside temperatures as low as 78 degrees can cause deadly heat to build up inside of a locked vehicle. Sometimes it may be better to just act and accept the penalties as long as the animal was saved from certain death.
Info to Gather for An Animal Abuse Report:
Now, if there is an animal in a neglect situation, then you can contact your local animal shelter or rescue, along with a local SPCA group, and your local law enforcement. Make sure you are fully ready to provide a written statement about what you have witnessed and what you believe the problem is along with any pictures you may have of the bad conditions or situation an animal is kept in.
Also, it is important to keep track of who you contacted with dates and times. Then, you can follow up on your report, especially if you do not see the situation resolved promptly. Check out the ASPCA’s page on reporting cruelty for more information on what you need to report a situation and get results at https://www.aspca.org/take-action/report-animal-cruelty.
Resources for Reporting Animal Abuse:
For a full and comprehensive list on who to contact for reporting animal abuse of any kind, and in any state, check out the reporting table at https://www.animallaw.info/topic/table-reporting-animal-cruelty-united-states.
They have organized an extremely exhaustive list of places to report animal cruelty to that is broken down by state and sometimes down by county. They have also tracked down all the statutes that relate to animal abuse, cruelty to animals, or animal neglect, and they have broken these laws down by state for your easy access.
If you are not sure if what you witnessed is considered illegal in your state, then this list will help you figure it out fairly quickly. This entire table is also a wonderful resource for those with questions about their states laws regarding animal abuse and neglect.
If you fully believe that you have witnessed an illegal act relating to the abuse or neglect of an animal of any kind, then please feel free to call the phone number below for your state and get more information on reporting the issue.
Also, please keep in mind that if it is a life and death situation where the animals life is immediately threatened, then you should call your local law enforcement or even 911 to report the problem and get an immediate response.
Otherwise, here are the phone numbers to call for each state if you have witness animal cruelty of any kind:
Reporting Animal Abuse – Phone Numbers To Call In Each State:
Alabama – Alabama SPCA (205)440-3647
Alaska- Office of Environmental Conservation: Anchorage (907)269-7500, Fairbanks (907)451-2100, Juneau (907)465-5066
Arizona- Arizona Humane Society (602)997-7585
Arkansas- Montgomery County Humane Society (240)252-2555
California- SPCALA (323)730-5300, 1(888)spcaLA1 {772-2521}
Colorado- Bureau of Animal Protection (303)869-9130
Connecticut- Department of Agriculture Animal Control Unit (860) 713-2506
Delaware- Delaware SPCA (302) 998-2281
Washington D.C.- Humane Rescue Alliance (202)723-5730
Florida- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (888) 404-3922
Georgia- Georgia Department of Agriculture Companion Animal and Equine Division (404) 656-3713
Hawaii- Hawaii Crime Stoppers Animal Crimes Division (808)955-8300
Idaho- Idaho Humane Society (208)342-3508
Illinois- Humane Society of Illinois (309)451-1000
Indiana- Indiana State Board of Animal Health (317)544-2400
Iowa- Statewide Animal Rescue League of Iowa Cruelty Investigations (515)284-6905
Kansas- Humane Society of Kansas (913)321-1445
Kentucky-Kentucky Animal Welfare Alliance (859)238-1117
Louisiana- Louisiana SPCA (504)368-5191
Maine- Department of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Resources (207) 287-7621
Maryland- Maryland SPCA (410) 235-8826
Massachusetts- Massachusetts SPCA Statewide Hotline (617)522-6008 or (800)628-5808
Michigan- Michigan Humane Society (866)648-6263
Minnesota- Minnesota Statewide Cruelty Hotline (763)489-2236
Mississippi- Mississippi Animal Rescue League (601)969-1631
Missouri- Humane Society of Missouri Statewide Hotline (314)647-4400
Montana- Lewis and Clark Humane Society (406)442-1660
Nebraska- Nebraska Humane Society (402)444-7800 Extension #1
Nevada- Las Vegas Valley Humane Society (702)434-2009
0New Hampshire- Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire (603)472-3647
New Jersey- New Jersey SPCA S0tatewide Hotline (800)582-5979
New Mexico- Animal Protection 0f New Mexico Statewide Hotline (888)260-2718
New York- Central New York SPCA (315)454-4479
North Carolina- SPCA of Wake County (919)722-2326
North Dakota- Humane Society of the Black Hills (605)394-4170
Ohio- Ohio SPCA Statewide Hotline (740)420-2984
Oklahoma- Tulsa SPCA Local Residents can dial 311, (918)596-7777
Oregon- Crime Stoppers of Oregon Animal Crimes Division (503)823-HELP (4357)
Pennsylvania- Pennsylvania SPCA Statewide Hotline (866)601-7722
Rhode Island- Rhode Island SPCA (401)438-8150
South Carolina- Human Society of South Caroline Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (803)783-1267
South Dakota- Sioux Falls Area Humane Society (605)338-4441
Tennessee- Tennessee SPCA (615)354-3531
Texas- Texas SPCA (214)742-7722
Utah- Humane Society of Utah Statewide Hotline (801)261-2919
Vermont- Vermont Humane Federation ((802)442-4900
Virginia- Northern Virginia SPCA (703)799-9390
Washington- Baauhaus Animal Rescue Group (425) 787-2500 Extension #861
West Virginia- Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association (304)342-1576
Wisconsin- Wisconsin Humane Society (20)469-3110
Wyoming- Casper Humane Society (307)265-5439
You can also contact your local law enforcement wherever you are at and they will file a report. They will also contact any other agencies that can help or that they need to work with to solve the situation.
Finally, there is always the United States Humane Society that can always point you in the right direction for reporting animal abuse or neglect. You can contact them at (202)452-1100 or (866)720-2676.