I am a mandated reporter. I among others have gained that title because of the job I do. I have been trusted to report what I see because I get a unique perspective, I get to see life from the front lines. If mom calls me because she has had a cough for a week and I notice that her son has several belt shaped bruises or is skin and bone, I’m forced by law to call a hotline. The same can’t be said for animals. If I’m called to help your twisted ankle and I find 45 Pomerania’s in your one bedroom flat or a German Sheppard that hasn’t been fed in a week, I can walk away without saying a word. I could, I wouldn’t though, I feel obligated, the same as I do for children. I would wager that most people, much like myself, would call in child abuse even if it wasn’t the law. I would also wager those same people have seen animal cruelty before and either because they didn’t know or didn’t care, failed to report it.
Animal abuse is remarkably similar to child abuse when the core issues are examined. Some of the signs are even the same. In fact domestic violence and animal abuse often run hand in hand. Often those that abuse animals progress to children. Every state has animal cruelty laws, 47 states have laws that make certain forms of animal abuse a felony. The local Humane Society is the primary source of investigations but the local police, sherriff and even the state police are supposed to get involved if they see cruelty or neglect. If the police are too busy or just unwilling to help, make notes and call the Humane Society in your area the next day. Try to be as specific as you would be with a child abuse report.
I also run into dogs left in cars several times a month in our area, animals are as susceptible to the heat as the rest of us, sometimes more so. Some owners don’t realize how dangerous this is, others frankly don’t care, either way I recommend avoiding them all together, call PD and let them deal with it. The police are often very helpful in cases where animals are locked in cars. Some areas allow officers to enter the vehicle to rescue the animal should they need to. Remember that it doesn’t take long for the car’s temperature to soar well over 100 degrees, even on mild days, so even the amount of time it takes to fill up your truck can be enough to tip them into heat stroke.
- Tick or flea infestations
- Wounds on the body
- Patches of missing hair
- Extremely thin, starving animal
- Limping
- An owner striking or otherwise physically abuse an animal
- Animals who are repeatedly left alone without food and water and/or chained in a yard
- Animals who have been hit by a car or are otherwise injured and have not been taken to a veterinarian
- Animals who are kept outside without shelter in extreme weather conditions
- Animals who cower in fear or act aggressively when approached by their owners
Those are just the core issues. Trust your gut, if something doesn’t sit right with you call and let the authorities decide. They are trained so you don’t have to be. My dog has a limp from an injury when she was a puppy, if someone reported me, I could easily prove it and the story would make sense. Again, just like reporting child or elder abuse, it’s not about getting anyone in trouble, it’s about protecting those that can’t protect themselves. We are the eyes and ears of the animals we encounter and I believe we should take responsibility seriously. At the minimum you save an animal, at most you could prevent or stop a child from being hurt.
Kudo’s, and thanks for sharing. Way to many things go without anybody speaking up. Saying, oh, it’s not that bad. But animals get a bad rap because people won’t report it. When I have, sorry to say, not much is done when it comes to animals.
Good for you for reporting abuse Sharon. Unfortunately like all abuse and neglect cases, often it is too late when something is finally done. Let’s hope that we continue to have caring people like you who take the time to do whats right.
Excellent post and thanks for taking a larger role in your community.
My neighbor has a pond w/ fish in it. He also has a big [dog] that loves to go half way into the pond and bark at the fish. I imagine the fish are scared to death. Should I alert the SPCA?
bk
Bill, thanks for your concern about your neighbors animals. In our area the SPCA doesn’t have any authority on fish so they wouldn’t be able to assist, it may be different where you live. I would recommend calling them and asking for their opinion, they are often very helpful in what the laws of your area are. Also depending on the relationship you have with your neighbor you can try talking to him first, often that’s all it takes. If the neighbor isn’t receptive to a conversation about it then you can contact local authorities such as the police or dog warden about the barking and see what they can do. If your neighbor has to keep the dog from barking then he may keep him out of the pond.
~SF
Hi. I needed to drop you a fast note to express my thanks. Ive been following your blog for a month or so and have picked up a ton of good info and enjoyed the method youve structured your site. I am trying to run my very own blog however I think its too general and I need to focus on a lot of smaller topics. Being all things to all folks is not all that its cracked up to be
I never thought of it that way, well put!