Signs of Animal Abuse: Would You be Able to Spot Them?
Plus, how to report cruelty to animals
Recently, animal welfare officials received a tip from an unknown source who spotted unusual bite marks on several pit bulls. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) later assisted in the rescue of 23 pit bulls from a dog-fighting ring in North Carolina. The dogs are now receiving medical care.
You might
think spotting animal abuse is easy, but that’s not always the case. A dog or
cat may appear aggressive or unusually shy or fearful, but those qualities alone
don’t provide a full picture. “It’s not always an easy call,” says
Ledy
VanKavage, senior
legislative attorney at
Best Friends Animal Society. VanKavage has worked on
numerous cases of animal abuse.
“A senior dog or cat may look frail or grossly underweight,” she says. “That may be due to aging or an illness. It’s important to be sure before you report someone.”
Related: Is My Dog Depressed?
Physical signs
According
to VanKavage and the ASPCA, there may be physical signs, such as these:
- A tight fitting collar that has become embedded in the dog’s or cat’s neck
- Open wounds or scars
- Poor skin conditions such as patches of hair loss, scaly skin, bumps, rashes, extremely matted hair or a dirty coat
- Emaciation to the point where the bones are visible
- Fur infested with fleas, ticks or other parasites
- Limping or being unable to walk or stand
- Discharge from eyes or nose
Environmental cues
These may include:
- Pets that are tied up alone outside for long periods of time
- Pets that are kept outside in extreme heat or cold
- Pets housed outside in areas littered with feces, garbage or trash
- Multiple animals housed closely together where they can’t turn around in kennels or cages
- Bad odors coming from houses that may have multiple animals
Related: How to Keep an Outdoor Cat Safe
“In
hoarding cases, you can smell bad odors as you walk past a home,” says VanKavage.
“It may have dozens of cats or a large number of dogs inside. The important
thing to do is to report abuse if you suspect that it’s occurring.”
How to report abuse
Document
what you see, the
Humane
Society
suggests. Write down the date, time and location of the perceived
abuse. Jot down a physical description of the person you suspect of abuse. If
possible, use your smartphone to snap a quick picture or video. The agency
responding to the abuse accusation will need all of this information.
Start by
calling animal control. If you don’t have an animal control officer in your
town or if the animal control officer doesn’t respond to repeated calls,
call the police. If they say it’s not a police matter, VanKavage suggests you
look
up your town’s animal cruelty ordinances.
“Call the
police back,” she said. “This time you’ll be prepared. Tell them that this is a
police matter because your state’s statue regarding animal cruelty law has been
violated. If the police won’t help, then go up the chain of command to the
police chief.”
If you’re
still not seeing results, call members of your local town council, talk to your
town’s mayor, speak at your town’s council meetings, write letters to the
editor of your local newspaper and call your local congressman. “The squeaky
wheel gets results,” says VanKavage.
When
reporting abuse, you can ask to remain anonymous. Police and other officials
usually know not to divulge who reported the incident. It’s for your own safety
and the safety of your family and pets.
“Reporting
animal abuse can take time,” VanKavage says, “and it’s totally worth the
effort. It’s the humane thing to do.”