There is one thing that stands between the death of a neglected or abused animal and its eventual life of safety. That is the loud voice of a caring stranger who is not afraid to become involved. Too often individuals turn their heads away from something they find unpleasant or detrimental to their personal life, whether that is of another human being or an animal in suspected danger.
Animal cruelty is now being strongly associated through scientific evidence for mental health and human violence, and by ignoring an act of animal abuse a person may be contributing to even further abuse going on inside the animal's home of victimized children or adults. Recognizing animal abuse is an easy one-two-three step process, and if any of the following signs are recognized then authorities should be immediately notified. If not, then the one who neglects to do so is just as guilty as the abuser.
SIGNS OF ANIMAL ABUSE
Weight Loss:
A loss of weight in an animal has a varying scale, as each breed has a typical appearance. (1) The worst sign of weight loss is when the animal is emaciated-when bones are prominent from a distant away with no obvious signs of muscle fat or muscle mass. There will be an extreme hourglass shape and severe tuck in the abdomen. (2) Less severe but just as obvious is the very underweight animal where the pelvic bone, ribs or lumbar vertebra bones can be easily seen. There will be some loss of the body fat and muscle mass, but less severe than the emaciated animal. The abdomen will have a prominent tuck and also an hourglass shape. (3) The thin dog is less able to be diagnosed as an abused dog, as the dog may be a thin breed, have worm issues which are being handled, or has recently had a litter of puppies. But there still will be a small amount of muscle mass loss, and an obvious tuck in the waist and abdomen. The animal's ribs will be visible with no fat on them and are easily palpated.
Adequate Shelter:
All animals that remain outside should have adequate shelter which is clean and large enough for their size. Bedding (straw, hay, blankets, etc.) should be inside for them to lie on and some form of protection at the shelter opening to prevent rain or snow from entering. Igloo dog-houses with a slant to the front are considered adequate without something at the opening. Wooden dog houses need to be painted with nailed openings or holes to prevent the cold from coming in. Short-haired or very small dogs should not be outside all the time in the middle of the winter, only for short durations to toilet or exercise. Feces should be cleaned up around the shelter area so the animal is not lying in it.
Food and Water:
Clean bowls of water should be kept filled at all times, especially during the hot times of the summer. Remember that many dogs will overturn their bowls by accident and will need to have them refilled. During the winter, outside dogs will have frozen bowls of water if they are not supplied with heated water bowls, which also will need to be replenished. Weight loss will show inadequate food amounts or health issues.
Skin condition:
The quality of fur and skin condition shows an animal's health condition. Open sores, bleeding, matted or seriously clumped fur, bare skin, dull hair falling out, and digging at the skin all show serious problems going on in the animal's life that are not normal.
Continuous barking or howling:Animals let the world know in some manner or another they are not okay, until their spirit is beaten out of them through physical/emotional abuse or starvation. If a dog is continuously howling or barking, pay attention to what is going on, other than simply that the family is home and they want inside the house. The type of barking or howling is also a red alert. It is a joyful sound or a lone-wolf howling of sickness or misery?
STEPS FOR REPORTING ANIMAL ABUSE
Step One:
Make sure the above steps of abuse are recognized and written down before calling, with possible times and dates. Call the local humane society, local animal shelter, or the animal control agency under "animal shelter" or "humane society" in the phone book. They will then contact the proper authorities. Remaining anonymous is possible, but in order for the authorities to contact you for further information, they will need a name and number. Additional authority information can be found at the www.Petfinder.com or www.Pets911.com websites. As a last resort, contact the local police.
Step Two:
These agencies will follow-up on listed abuse regarding inadequate food, water, shelter, possible abandonment, or cruel treatment of the reported animal. Once the inspection is done, a citation may be given to the dog owner in order for them to correct the violation and education and training given to the pet owner. Not all neglect is deliberate but simply ignorance or lack of knowledge.
Step Three:
If the case is extreme neglect or abuse, immediate intervention will be done by removing the abused animal or animals out of the home. The prosecutor's office evaluates the situation with a possible prosecution.
Some, not all, agencies can obtain search warrants. Other agencies work with the local police who will execute a search warrant.
Step Four:
Animals and animal owners are both protected by state and local laws. Determinations are made while the case is being processed by the local court system, with animals located at the animal shelter if the abuse case is severe.
Step Five:
Recognize that the Humane Society of the United States does not have any local control over this type of situation. But they do provide help to animal shelters and animal control professionals throughout the country.