Friday, April 18, 2008

Reporting Animal Cruelty

If you witness an animal being abused or suspect an animal is being abused or neglected, you should report it to the proper officials in your state so that they may investigate what is happening.

To find out who you need to report animal cruelty to in your state, please visit this page and select your state from the list. Alternatively, call your local animal shelter or veterinarian and ask to whom you should report animal cruelty.

When you report animal cruelty, you will want to write up a statement of exactly what you witnessed. Be as detailed and specific in your statement as possible and name the other witnesses who saw the act or acts of animal cruelty if any others were present. Be sure to include the date and approximate time of the incident as well. If you have any photos of the abused or neglected animal or perpetrator, be sure to include copies of these photos with your written statement.

Make copies of any written statements and/or photos you hand over to the investigating officials.

The officer should follow-up with you as to the outcome of the case. If you have not heard from the officer you reported the case to in a reasonable amount of time, it is ok to give him or her a follow-up phone call, e-mail, or letter. You may even wish to contact the officer's supervisor if he or she does not respond to your follow-up contact in a reasonable amount of time. Following up with the officer and/or supervisor ensures that animal cruelty is not ignored, is investigated, and that appropriate consequences are suffered by the perpetrators of animal cruelty.

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