One of the best ways to identify animal cruelty is to trust your instincts and be alert. For instance, it may appear that a person is only leaving their pet in the car for only a few minutes, but those few minutes turn into an hour or, you may notice a neighbor suddenly moved and you didn’t see them take the family dog. These occurrences happen on a daily basis and easily go unnoticed.
Do you know how to detect animal cruelty when you see it?
What is animal cruelty?
Animal cruelty can be outlined into two separate categories, (1) neglecting an animal to the point of cruelty and (2) intentionally causing harm or death to an animal.
Identifying Animal Neglect
Abandonment: Animal abandonment is typically the result of the animal’s owner moving and leaving their pet behind. Common household animals, mainly dogs and cats, will likely alert a neighbor by the sounds of their cries. Being observant of a recently vacant home can help save the life of a pet left behind.
Hoarding: People who hoard animals do this with the best intentions and at times are unable to identify that they are causing more harm than help. In these cases, animal hoarders do not take in just one or two stray animals they take in several and to the amount that supersedes their ability to care and/or maintain a healthy environment for the animals and themselves. Remember state, city, and county ordinances set limits for the amount of animals a household can have for a reason.
Photo Source: today.com
Chained or Tethered Dogs: In many of these cases the pet owner may label their dog as an “escape artist” and believe this is the best method to train their dog to stay by tying them up. Keeping a dog or animal restrained takes away their ability to protect themselves. Dogs that experience this type of neglect have the tendency to act more aggressively. Some cities and/or counties have laws that regulate chaining or tethering dogs, research your local community for this law. If you see a dog left tied up with no food or shelter the best thing to do is call the local animal agency or the local authorities.
Lack of Adequate Shelter: This is probably the most debated topic due to the term adequate, the definition to adequate shelter is not universal and states vary on their definition of adequate shelter for animals. Some view a carport as adequate shelter for an animal during cold weather while others do not. Regardless of the definition of adequate shelter, cold weather is deadly to animals that do not have proper shelter. Check your local laws on the definition of adequate animal shelter and if you are concerned for an animal you see left outside in cold weather, report it giving as much details as possible. If the shelter is deemed insufficient, animal welfare officers have the ability to legally intervene and seize the animal due to lack of adequate shelter, even if the animal is healthy and unharmed.
Heat Exhaustion: It is not uncommon to read or see a story in the media of a dog being rescued from a car during the hottest season of the year. Several hundreds of dogs die every year due to heat exhaustion because they were left in the car. Even a few minutes in a car on a hot summer day can be deadly. The temperature of a car can rise an additional 10°F within minutes of being parked and can reach up to 40°F degrees hotter than the outside temperature. For example, if the outside temperature is 95°F the temperature can raise up to 135°F in car within 40 minutes! If you see any animal left in a car on a hot day, take action and call 911 immediately!
Violence against Animals
If you witness a pet owner physically harming their animal, beating them, throwing them, duct taping their mouths shut, etc. Do not turn a blind eye, be the voice that they don’t have and report the violence to the proper authorities. If you don’t know the number to the local animal welfare, call 911.