REPORT ANIMAL ABUSE FAQ
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.
If you witness or suspect animal cruelty, you should contact animal control immediately.
Documentation
Documenting the incident with photographs and videotape can be very helpful in prosecution. If such cruelty is not witnessed directly but is suspected, animal control authorities should be notified. Reports of animal cruelty should be as detailed as possible. Dates, times and circumstances should be noted and related to animal control authorities, who should also be made aware of any physical evidence (photos, video, etc.).
Reporting Cruelty
A person reporting animal cruelty should ask for the name of the animal control officer and ask what action is planned. Follow up, and report any change observed in the animal's condition and situation. A person reporting animal cruelty need not be concerned with confidentiality. An investigating officer is not likely to identify the source of the complaint. Should the keeper of the animal be prosecuted, witnesses may be called to testify, but the immediate condition of the animal should outweigh concerns about having to testify months from now.
Get Help!
It's very important to inform the police because animal cruelty is illegal in all 50 states.
LINKS:
http://www.aspca.org/site/FrameSet?style=Animal
http://www.hsus.org
http://www.animalforum.com/gabusemain.htm
http://www.paws.org/help/report/
http://www.pet-abuse.com/pages/anima...ting_abuse.php
http://www.animaland.org/asp/realissues/report.asp
http://www.helpinganimals.com/
http://www.allanimals.org/Action_ale...on_alerts.html
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If you know of any other links or phone numbers related to this subject - please reply to this thread to add them to this list.
Thank You!
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