Animal Welfare & Cruelty

Investigations

All reports of cruelty and neglect should be reported to Animal Services immediately. We take animal cruelty very seriously in our community and will hold all responsible parties accountable when evidence can prove cruelty has taken place. Animal Services is the primary contact for the community when an animal is being cruelly treated.

Levels of Cruelty

There two basic levels of cruelty - acute and passive cruelty.

Acute Cruelty

All reports of cruelty and neglect should be reported to Animal Services immediately. We take animal cruelty very seriously in our community and will hold all responsible parties accountable when evidence can prove cruelty has taken place. Animal Services is the primary contact for the community when an animal is being cruelly treated.

Passive Cruelty

All reports of cruelty and neglect should be reported to Animal Services immediately. We take animal cruelty very seriously in our community and will hold all responsible parties accountable when evidence can prove cruelty has taken place. Animal Services is the primary contact for the community when an animal is being cruelly treated.

Identifying Animal Cruelty

Physical Signs

  • Collar so tight that it has caused a neck wound or has become embedded in the pet’s neck
  • Extreme thinness or emaciation - bones may be visible
  • Fur infested with fleas, ticks, or other parasites
  • Open wounds or an ongoing injury or illness that isn’t being treated
  • An owner striking or otherwise physically abusing an animal
  • Signs of inadequate grooming, such as extreme matting of fur, overgrown nails
  • Untreated skin conditions that have caused loss of hair, scaly skin, bumps or rashes
  • Weakness, limping or the inability to stand or walk normally

Environmental Signs

  • Animals are housed in kennels or cages (very often crowded in with other animals) that are too small to allow them to stand, turn around and make normal movements, possibly with too many other animals
  • Pets are kept in an area littered with feces, garbage, broken glass or other objects that could harm them
  • Pets are kept outside in inclement weather without access to adequate shelter
  • Pets are tied up outside for long periods of time without adequate food or water, or with food or water that is unsanitary

When Welfare Checks Are Made

Animal Services will conduct welfare checks of animals to check on the following:

  • Animal locked in a car when outside temperature is over 85 degrees Fahrenheit and the windows are rolled up or barely open, engine of vehicle is off - Witness needs to give type of vehicle and license plate info as well as the row in which the vehicle is parked
  • Animals tangled in a tether or caught in fence
  • Animals that were observed dumped on the side of the road (Witness need to give type of vehicle and license plate info)
  • No food/water
  • No shelter
  • Suspected abandoned animals; ideally be called in by a landlord or family members of the previous tenants.

We need your help with these cases; without your willingness to write a statement of what you saw and who you saw do it, Animal Services may be unable to prevent this from happening to another animal.