Help an Animal:

Be Someone Who Does Something

Have you ever seen an animal being mistreated and thought, “Someone should do something?”

You were right -- and you are that someone!

You can do something about abuse and neglect. You don’t have to be a superhero or a magician or a law-enforcement officer. Anyone can help. You can help.

Is it your business? Yes -- animal abuse and neglect affects everybody. Don’t stand by and let a helpless animal be abused or neglected.

American Humane -- the only national nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting both animals and children -- offers these tips for becoming that “someone” who does something…

• What if the dog in your neighbor’s backyard is always chained up and seems to be starving or lacking fresh water?
• What if you saw a neighborhood child or teen put a cat in a box and kick it around?
• What if you saw a dog left alone in a car on a hot day?

Take action. Don’t delay. Be part of the solution to ending animal abuse and neglect!

You can play a big role in stopping and preventing inhumane actions, like animal abuse, in your own community. Taking action is the right thing to do.

• It’s often easy to recognize abuse, especially when you see choking, setting tails on fire, dunking heads under water, kicking and hitting. If you see such a thing, you’ll probably be outraged and want to confront the abuser. Avoid that impulse. Your reaction probably won’t make that person more caring toward his or her pet.
• In the case of a child abusing an animal, the parent may not know about the behavior. But because animal abuse has been linked with other types of abuse in the home, namely child abuse, it’s better to let the authorities investigate.
• If you think an animal is suffering from neglect, look more closely, and at different times of day. Maybe the food and water bowls are kept inside, away from bugs or freezing temperatures. Maybe your neighbor goes to work at 3 a.m. and feeds the dog then. Maybe there’s a dog door you can’t see.
• Some sure signs of animal neglect are a collar that’s too tight; an animal with overgrown, matted and dirty fur; or an overly thin animal that is clearly starving.
• Don’t try to rescue a pet from a potentially abusive or neglectful environment yourself. This is illegal. Besides, you haven’t stopped the owner from getting another pet to abuse or helped turn him into a caring, responsible owner.
• If you see animal abuse or neglect, report it to your local animal control department, police department or humane society. They will investigate and decide how to help the animal.
• If the animal is seriously unhealthy or obviously abused, the investigating officer may take it into protective care. If charges are brought against the owner, you can offer to testify or sign a complaint. In the case of violent abuse, witnesses are rare, so you may be the only person who can testify about the incident.
• Different states, cities and counties have different laws about animal cruelty. The legal definitions of abuse, neglect or appropriate conditions may differ. The penalties for animal abuse may also differ.
• Once you have reported potential animal abuse or neglect, the investigating officer may not be able to discuss the specifics of the case with you. But that does not mean the officer is not working on it. If you have questions about how the case will progress through your legal system, talk to the investigating officer or read your local laws.

Learn more about protecting animals and animal issues, from the American Humane Association.