How to Recognize the Signs of Animal Cruelty and Neglect

If you see or witness any one of the following signs, please speak up. Always contact your local law enforcement agency—police department or county sheriff, and animal control agency or animal shelter, to report the abuse or neglect. To report a crime, abuse, or cruelty in progress, or has just happened, or you suspect could happen—call 9-1-1 immediately.

Report what you witness – write down as many details as you can including: address of the incident, people involved, time and date, take photos or a video of the animal and incident, and take photos of the surrounding area. The more documentation you can provide to report the better.

Here’s more about How to Report Animal Cruelty.

Physical Signs of Animal Cruelty

If you see someone physically attacking, abusing, hurting or beating an animal–any animal, call 9-1-1 immediately. Never walk away, use your cell phone to photograph the crime, take a video, and call the police or 9-1-1. Then complete a report of the alleged crime with the date, time, and specific details, so law enforcement can investigate. After reporting to law enforcement, you can also report the neglect/abuse to the Humane Society of the U.S. And PETA will follow up if you complete their form here. They will follow up on the crime as well. (Source: ASPCA)

A person striking, hitting, or physically abusing an animal, any animal, anywhere
Open wounds, signs of multiple healed wounds or scars, or an ongoing illness or injury that has not and is not been treated
Extreme thinness or emaciation, signs of starvation, malnutrition, dehydration – bones may be visible
Weakness, limping, or the inability to stand or walk normally
Fur infested with fleas, ticks, or other parasites
Animal is heavily or extremely matted, filthy dirty coat
Tight collar that has caused a neck wound or has become embedded in the pet’s neck
Visible signs of confusion, or extreme drowsiness
Untreated skin conditions that have caused loss of hair, scaly skin, bumps or rashes
Heavy discharge from the eyes or nose

Environmental Signs of Animal Cruelty or Neglect

Animal neglect is a failure to provide for the basic needs of an animal. Neglect can include hoarding, lack of proper shelter, lack of veterinary care, lack of proper and adequate food and water, chaining or tethering, abandonment, and other forms of abuse. Here is a list of what to look out for:

Pets / dogs that are kept outside in bad weather, extreme temperatures, storms — without access to adequate shelter
Pets / dogs that are tied up alone outside for long periods of time without regular feedings, fresh water 24/7, or adequate food and water
Pets / dogs that are housed in cages or kennels that are too small and don’t allow them to move, turn around, stand up, walk, and make normal movements
Pets / dogs that are kept in an area that is full of feces, garbage, or dangerous objects that could harm or injure them
Pets / dogs that are chained or tied up outside in inclement weather, storms, hurricanes, dangerous weather conditions
Pets / dogs that are left behind and whose owners have abandoned them

Here is more information about chaining and tethering dogs.

OTHER FORMS OF ANIMAL CRUELTY

When reporting any form of neglect or cruelty to law enforcement agencies—the local police, county sheriff’s office and local animal control agency—always take detailed notes regarding who you talk with and when. Record your conversation with law enforcement or animal control. Then follow up with them in a few days to see if the situation has been remedied. If not, call them again until it is addressed and the animal is out of harm’s way.

NEGLECT

Neglect is about the failure to provide for the basic needs of the animal including providing adequate, appropriate, and nutritious food every day, clean water every day, clean and safe shelter, and the animal’s ability to move, walk, run and express normal behavior. If these basic needs are not provided for that you witness, contact your local animal control agency and they will follow up. Again, document the neglect as best you can and provide the location of the neglect. If your area lacks a proper animal welfare agency, you can also report the neglect/abuse to the Humane Society of the U.S. to follow up on.

HOARDING

Hoarding involves keeping too many animals together in one space where the owner is not adequately providing for their care. If the owner cannot provide the minimal standards of nutrition, sanitation, shelter, and needed veterinary and medical care, then the hoarding can become a crime. This form of neglect often results in the starvation, disease or illness, and premature death of one or multiple animals. Often the individual is in denial about being unable to provide adequate care – and the impact it is having on the animals. Animal hoarders often believe they are helping their animals, or “saving” them. Watch for these signs in the home for neglect and cruelty in hoarding – the smell of ammonia from urine, floors that are covered in dried feces, urine or vomit and are unsanitary; animals are emaciated or bony, lethargic, weak and not well socialized; animals are not neutered or sprayed; fleas, mites or parasites are a problem; animals show clear signs of illness, weakness, malnutrition and/or distress.

There are several ways to help in these situations. If the animals are suffering, contact your local police or law enforcement immediately. First and foremost. If animals are sick and at risk of dying, or have died–law enforcement is the first priority. If the animals are not at risk, or unhealthy, but the owner is overwhelmed — you can contact a local rescue group, animal welfare organization, or veterinarian to initiate the process. The owner may be overwhelmed and your calls may be the help the animals and the owner needs to get them the proper care that is needed. Here is more about animal hoarding (ASPCA), hoarding (PETA), hoarding and the law (Animal Law)

Read the new 12-page report, “Animal Hoarders: Behavior, Consequences, and Appropriate Official Response, for more information.

LACK OF VETERINARY CARE

Look for animals with untreated eye, ear and sinus conditions, untreated wounds, untreated skin conditions, untreated diseases leaving them weak, thin, or otherwise unhealthy, or emaciation—that all demand immediate attention. First alert the owner to the animal’s condition and alert local authorities of suspected neglect as soon as possible. Don’t wait. If you’re uncomfortable contacting the owner, you can go directly to your local animal control agency or the non-emergency line for the police. Document what you witness by taking photos, video, identify the address, the owner’s name and phone number of you have it, so authorities can follow up.

INADEQUATE SHELTER

Pets Left Out in Cold and Hot Temperatures

If you see an animal outside in extreme cold or heat without adequate shelter from the heat or cold, or is outside in sub-freezing temperatures, or is in extreme heat without a proper place to stay cool – contact your local law enforcement, county sheriff’s office, and animal control agency immediately. It can be a crime to leave pets outside in extreme temperatures without adequate food and shelter. These conditions can lead to death very quickly. Pets left outside are at risk of frostbite, hypothermia, heat stroke or heat exhaustion—and heart failure as a result, and are at risk of death. Their owners can face criminal charges. Be sure to document what you see with your cell phone. Owners are responsible for keeping pets inside during extreme temperatures and weather events. Weather affects our pets just like it affects us, they are no different—a fur coat does not change anything for them. Here’s how to protect pets from the cold.

If you see a pet left out in the cold, here’s more about how you can help. Contact the Humane Society of the U.S. if you need advice or expert counsel.

CHAINED DOGS

Dogs are social animals, and there’s nothing crueler than to leave them tethered and chained in isolation. This is solitary confinement to a dog that needs to walk, run, play and be with humans. Chained dogs are usually deprived of adequate food, fresh water, medical and veterinary care, and their social and emotional needs are ignored. Plus, proper and adequate shelter is often denied to them too. They are bored, miserable, cold and hot, weak from lack of food and water, lonely and suffering. They are also vulnerable to other animals and cruel people. Many of these dogs have frozen to death during frigid or freezing weather, or died of heat stroke on hot days. Because of being chained 24/7 they are anxious, stressed and can be aggressive – and even bite because they have become unsocialized. Chaining dogs should be banned, and some cities have banned it.

If you are concerned about a specific dog who is tethered, you may want to consider asking your local animal control agency to pay the owner a visit. Even if tethering is legal, agents can make a house call to see if they can improve the situation by helping the owner troubleshoot and gather resources to address the problem at its root (i.e. a behavior problem or repeated escapes). Most situations can be improved through positive engagement and support services; punitive measures can be used to address the most egregious of situations. Working with owners to improve the situations for their existing dogs is always the best option and our experience shows that most people are open to support.

ABANDONMENT

It is illegal to abandon a dog or cat unless you legally transfer the dog or cat to another home or animal shelter. If you do abandon your dog or cat you will be guilty of a misdemeanor crime which is punishable by a maximum jail term not to exceed 30 days and a mandatory fine. There is really no excuse to abandon a pet – any situation that you life, your pet must come with you, or find a temporary solution until you can take responsibility for it again. Pets are family, no different than a child – life has unexpected twists and turns, but that is to be expected, and when adopting a cat or dog, you are making a lifetime commitment to them as you do a child. It’s part of being a responsible pet owner. There is always a solution to finding a pet a new home if absolutely necessary, and never abandoning the animal. It’s pure animal cruelty with intent. If you witness abandonment or learn about it, contact animal control immediately to let them know the name and address of the person who abandoned the pet. But if you encounter a lost dog or cat, here’s what to do:

Capture and contain it with care. If you see a stray cat or dog, try to capture and contain the animal if circumstances permit.
Call authorities – if you cannot safely approach the animal or if it runs away, call your local animal control or police department immediately.
If you are able to contain the pet and it is tagged — immediately contact the owner and return the pet to her or him. If the pet is wearing ID, but you are unable to immediately make contact with the owner, try to hold onto the pet for a few hours and wait for a call back from the owner. If you choose to do this, it is advisable to immediately file a “found pet” report with your local animal shelter in case the owner calls or goes there to search for the pet. If you are unable to hold the pet, you can either take it to your local animal shelter or call your local animal control or police department to pick it up
Check for a microchip — You can do this a a local veterinarian’s office or animal control.
Take pets with no ID to an animal shelter — If the animal has no ID tag or microchip, its best chance of being reunited with its owner is generally at an animal shelter. The shelter is the one place where owners are likely to look for lost pets. While most shelters maintain a database of “found” reports, these reports are often inaccurate due to the subjectivity of the person describing the animal. One good alternative would be to post a picture of the found animal in the shelter’s computer database if the shelter has software with that capability. This would allow you to hold the lost pet, while still allowing the owner to find it at the shelter via a photo.
Post fliers — Whether you decide to hold the lost animal yourself or put it in the custody of your local shelter, there are several ways you can help find the owner. If possible, take a photo of the pet and post fliers around the area where the pet was found. Be sure to also distribute the fliers to local veterinary clinics. Also post a “found” report and photo in the “Pets” section of www.craigslist.com. If you found the pet in your own neighborhood, go door to door with a photo of the animal and see if anyone knows who owns it. You can also place a found ad in the classified section of your local newspaper (these are usually free).

PET STORES / BREEDERS

For concerns about animal cruelty in pet stores, please contact the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) at (301) 851-3751, www.aphis.usda.gov, or [email protected]. The USDA will direct you to the appropriate regional department to which you will be asked to submit your complaint in writing.