If you see an animal or person being abused, report it. Don't turn a blind eye to a suffering animal. Contact your local animal services and sheriff's department immediately.
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What Should I Do if I See an Abused Animal?
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There are Basically Two Kinds of Abuse
NEGLECT. Try to asses whether it may be neglect by looking at some of the other animals on the property or the property itself. Some common signs of Neglect are: Lack of Grooming--matted hair, sores, dirt, and might even smell bad. Starvation--starvation is caused by lack of food, improper food, disease, worms, etc. Poor Hoof Condition--grown out, split, and possibly deformed. Poor Living Conditions--the pasture, barn, etc might have falling down structures, junk/garbage on the ground, poor fencing, filthy living conditions, etc.
ABUSE. It is usually easier to recognize physical abuse when you witness someone kicking, hitting, burning, drowning, etc the animal. If you see something like this happen, your first impulse might be to confront the abuser. Don't do that unless you are positive a "friendly chat" with that person will improve the situation for the animal. If you can safely take video or photos of the incident, do it. This will create hard evidence for the authorities, help prosecution, and save the animal from further abuse. Also, recognize, if the animals are being abused, the people/children in the home, are probably being abused too.
To Learn more about this Link, click go to http://www.americanhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=lk_about
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If you're reasonably sure the animal is being abused, take the next step and Report It
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If you witness animal abuse or neglect, report it to your local animal control, police department, and humane society. If they agree there is probably some form of abuse, they will investigate. If the animal is seriously unhealthy or obviously abused, the investigator can take it into protective care for the duration of the investigation. If you are concerned about the immediate safety of the animal, tell the officer about your concerns.
Although, it is heart-wrenching to see an animal suffer, do not try to feed, water, or save the animal, or you might hurt the investigation. The authorities must see the abuse at its worst, and if you feed or water the animal, it might weaken the case against the abuser. If the authorities do not investigate in a reasonable amount of time, call, email, etc again. Sometimes, the squeaky wheel gets the attention.
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| TIPS for Reporting Animal Cruelty |
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| Document everything |
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Tips for Reporting Animal Cruelty
Once you have found out which law enforcement agent you should speak to, it’s important to provide him or her with a concise, written, factual statement of what you observed, giving dates and approximate times whenever possible. If at all feasible, try to photograph the abusive situation and date your pictures. It would also be helpful to get short, factual written statements from other witnesses.
When you call to report animal cruelty, always make sure to keep a careful record of exactly whom you contact, the date of the contacts and the content and outcome of your discussion. Never give away a document without making a copy for your file! Make it clear to the agent that you are very interested in pursuing the case, and that you are willing to lend whatever assistance you can.
Follow Up if Necessary
If you don’t receive a response from the officer assigned to your case within a reasonable length of time, don’t be afraid to present your information to his or her supervisor and, if necessary, to local government officials, such as the county commissioner, and ask them to act.
If you have witnessed the cruel act yourself, you can go to your local police commissioner and ask to swear out a warrant to summon the accused person to court. Remember that expert witnesses are sometimes necessary in animal cruelty cases. A veterinarian, for example, can sign a statement that it is his or her “expert opinion” that a dog suffers when hit with a chain, is deprived of food, etc. Expert opinions will very often make or break a case, so if you happen to know a sympathetic veterinarian, you may wish to seek his or her assistance and tell the officer that you have expert support lined up for your case.
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Let's face it. Sometimes, going through the correct channels doesn't get a lot done. If all else fails, contacting the media about the situation may help light a fire under those organizations who have authority to make a positive change for the animal.
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| National Organizations/Web Sites For Animal Protection & Advocacy |
The Humane Society of the United States
2100 L Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
202-452-1100
American Humane
Database of Criminal Animal Cruelty Cases
Through Their Eyes, The National Animal Abuse Registry
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Anti-cruelty laws vary across the country, and sometimes city to city. Definitions and penalties for abuse may also differ. Fortunately, our communities have begun to recognize animal abuse as a cycle of violence (domestic violence is linked to animal cruelty) and abusers are getting stiffer penalties. Some states, Florida is one, have added Felony Penalties for Animal Cruelty.
The Laws for Animal Cruelty must be harsher if we want to protect animals from abuse. In order to make this happen, we as the people, need to change the Laws. Check out these links for more info:
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