Reporting Abuse
How to Report Abuse
Animal cruelty is a crime in every state in the US. If you witness or hear about animal abuse, animal neglect or animal fight, report it to your local or state police department. You should also contact your animal control agency, the SPCA and Humane Society. If it’s an emergency, call 911.
What Constitutes Cruelty
- Neglect – denying an animal adequate food, water, shelter (a dog house) medical care (has apparent injuries that have not been treated), clean area, socialization (is the animal aggressive or timid when approached by owner), or chained up in a yard.
- Violence – deliberately torturing, beating, mutilating an animal.
- Crime – Almost all acts of violence or negligence to animals are punishable by law. Laws vary not only from state to state but from region to region.
Documentation
Get as much information as you can to give to the authorities. Document the incident with photos or videos of the location, animal(s) involved and surrounding area. Be as detailed as possible. Dates, times, circumstances and statements from other people who have witnessed the cruelty should be noted and related to the authorities.
Reporting Cruelty
Provide the authorities with written documentation and always keep a copy for yourself. Keep careful record of who you spoke with, date, content and outcome of discussion. Ask what action is planned.
When calling to report animal cruelty, be sure to include the following:
- Name of the person you believe is involved, if known.
- Is this person the owner of the animal(s)?
- Exact address and city where the animal is located. If you have a zip code it is helpful. If you do not have the precise address, give cross streets or accurate directions to the site.
- What type of animal? dog, cat, horse, etc.
- How many animals may be involved?
- What type of cruelty are you reporting? neglect, violence.
- Is it an owned animal(s) or a stray(s)?
- Be sure to leave your full name and contact information.
Follow-Up
Don’t assume the situation was addressed. Always follow-upwith the officer in charge of the case to inquire about progress of the investigation. If dissatisfied, request to have a meeting to discuss the situation further or ask to speak to a supervisor. You may be the only hope for this animal. His life could depend on you.
Humane Society of Greater Dallas
crueltydivision@yahoo.com
For residents of the City of Dallas, keep these numbers handy and in your car for emergencies:
| Dallas Animal Services | 214-670-8248 or 311 |
| SPCA | 214-742-7722SPCA of Texas Investigation Department 214-651-9611 extension 120 investigations@spca.org SPCA Injured Animals Rescue Ambulance |
| HSUS-SW Regional Office | 214-704-4868 |
| Norred& Associates | 877-215-2250A reward of up to $5,000 is offered for information leading to the arrest or conviction of a dogfighter. |
State of Texas Penal Code – Sec. 42.09. Cruelty to Animals
Dog Fighting Hotline
- The Dog Fighting Hotline 1-877-847-4787 is sponsored by the Humane Society of the United States.
- The line is answered 24/7.
- You can receive an award of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a dogfighter.
- All information is kept confidential.
- You can leave a message, talk to an investigator, or get their e-mail address and leave your own.
- If a dogfight is in progress, immediately call the police, 9-1-1. Then call the hotline.
Article – Animals-Abused.org
Picture – Animals-Abused.org
Hello Friends!
Reporting abuse can be intimidating, especially when you feel like nothing is getting done or your local law office is acting like they couldn’t care less. I personally have faced issues with some of our state’s police officers not willing to respond to animals in desperate need of food, water and medical attention. Once you have given law enforcement the chance to act and they tell you there is nothing they can do, go to google.com and start searching for your states SPCA and any other animal organization dedicated to protecting and serving animals in need. Also, PETA (757) 622-7382 has served me well anytime I needed them to step in or simply guide me through the process that the police should have taken care of.
No matter what, always be persistent and never be afraid to stand up for those who can’t. You know if you were in the same situation you would want someone to come to your aid. Don’t be that person who sits back and says “not my problem” because when you do, you are allowing evil to manifest and ruin a life or lives that could have been saved with a simple phone call.