In my interview with Beth Brookhouser of the SPCA for Monterey County and the before-and-after photo gallery, viewers learn how to identify neglect and abuse, and how to help authorities help animals in need.
Have you helped an animal in need by reporting to authorities or speaking to the person responsible for the animal in need? How did it turn out? Can you offer advice to others on how to help? Do you have advice for humane organizations to better reach the public?
Please share your story here. Note: please do not 'reply' to other submissions. This is your own mini-article on the subject designed to help others. Share why and how to help
We Need Your Help
- I know that it can sometimes be frustrating to report animal cruelty and feel like you’re not getting a response. Like most agencies, we lack the staffing levels to drive around looking for cruelty. We completely rely on reports from our community. Keep in mind that it is rarely lack of caring that can cause a slow or undesirable response. What an animal lover’s heart says and what the actual laws says are often quite different. I want to again stress that all SPCA’s are independent, and animal control is different from humane societies, so it’s always important to try again with a new agency. Sadly, cruelty will never end but we are all working together to make our world better for animals. It’s always going to be an uphill climb, but we need you to stay with us and not give up due to frustration with the system or sadness that more animals will be treated poorly in the future. The more animals we can help, the better it will be for everyone. And to do that, we need you.
- —Guest Beth Brookhouser
No Help in East Texas
- I was treated as a criminal over a report of a female pit bull and I don't care for them but to see this animal and then to attacked for reporting her has been an experience that I'm still not over and just don't know what to do about it. How people can be so cruel is incomprehensible.
- —Guest pom77
Reporting in East Texas
- Was not only unpleasant but my character, past, job occupation, intelligence level, my motives, the lack of a picture of the dog in potential dangerous volatile situation and Most importantly at the fact that I asked questions about their lingo they used and simple legal questions, infuriated them. _
- —Pom77
At least a bit of help in TX
- Neighbors keep a female pit bull in their yard. They feed her when they remember her, and she has a water bucket where she has to stand on her hind legs to reach water. If the water level goes down, she's out of luck. We try to keep her watered from our side. When she got pregnant and then gave birth (without the owner's knowledge) in a real cold winter, I called the SPCA. They removed three pups that had frozen to death, and talked to the owner about spaying the dog. Needless to say, the poor creature has had another litter since, and is being taken care of even less - she's no longer "tough" looking because she's nursed two litters of puppies. I can only give her water when she's forgotten, and share some of my dog's treats with her. When recently she had a terrible cough, the SPCA came out again and forced the owner to medicate her. The neighbors hate us because we try to look out for the poor pit. She's sweet and appreciative. EDITOR'S NOTE - Thanks so much for looking out for this dog and staying in contact with the SPCA.
- —Guest Ileach
Neglected animals
- I reported a neglected beautiful husky pup that one of the neighbors "got" for 3 of the horrible kids to play. Unfortunately about 1 month later, the kids got bored and do not even pay attention to him. The stay at home single mother ties him up early in the morning to a metal pole in the middle of the backyard and supposedly gives the pup water and food at the end where the chain can reach. The pup knocks down the food and water and then goes on for more than 6 hrs without. At night she puts the dog in an outside cage covered with a blanket and the next day the same goes on. He howls and cries. Single stay at home mom is home all day. Others from the bordertown believe animals are for outside only and nothing else, that where she stand. Citations need to be given out more and be more expensive and be on their records for cruelty. If cruel to an animal also will be cruel or even worse to a human being. Any one want a beautiful male husky!?
- —fromtheborder
What's the problem?
- I have a 7 month old lab puppy. He is an outside dog because that's how I was raised. We have a fenced in yard, so he can roam and not be tied down. He is fed and has his kiddy pool filled every morning before i go to work and plenty of shade everywhere when it's hot. One day i get a phone call from my good neighbors saying that my other neighbor is in my yard feeding him saying that he is being neglected/starved with no water. They called the cops and animal control. I had my sis come and get him for me before the cop/animal control got there. If you saw my dog he is as healthy as a horse (and growing as big as one). He doesn't bark or cause trouble. I do not abuse my dog in anyway and I think I was being set up. My sis said all his tags were missing and his kiddy pool was dumped out. These people came in my yard and made it look like i was being a bad owner what should i do? Should i inform animal control about them just in case they try it again?
- —Guest Amanda
I Hate Shopping Centre Pet Shops
- I could not walk by any longer they would advertise a pup at 8 weeks old 4weeks later that same puppy was still there amazingly it was still 8 weeks old the poor thing had never been out of the cage I called the RSPCA they went to the pet shop and guess what? They could do nothing as the shop had provided food & water .That poor baby .So all i can say is don't buy a thing from those places and hopefully they will go broke.
- —Guest Danielle
NJSPCA was helpful to me
- A few years ago, my new next door neighbors were mistreating their very sick old housecat. (They threw him out and made him an outdoor cat, and he REALLY wanted remain an indoor cat. He was outside in all kinds of awful weather, and other animals ate the food they left outside for him.) I was in touch with the NJSPCA and they were very willing to send an investigator and list the complainant (me) as "Anonymous." In the end, though, we just took the cat inside our house (despite some allergy issues), and his "owners" didn't notice or didn't care, so I didn't have the SPCA come. But I corresponded several times via email with a lieutenant in the NJSPCA Law Enforcement Division, and he was very supportive.
- —Guest NE
Rumford, Maine, has Good ACO
- The animal control officer in Rumford, Maine, Marsha McKenna, is aggressive in protecting domestic animals, specifically dogs and cats. She also has a deputy who is on call through the police department I have reported what I felt was animal neglect to Marsha and she reacted promptly and improved tshe condition of the dogs at least slightly. One point Marsha makes is she needs animal lovers to be her eyes and ears. She also runs the animal shelter and adoption agency and does not have time to patrol the streets. Please don't give up on your ACO's without trying them first.
- —Packingpadre
Humane Officer Not Much Help
- My neighbors got a pit bull puppy a couple summers ago. They tied it to a 10-foot chain in their front yard with no shelter from the sun, and no food or water nearby. On July 4, they went away for the day - from early in the morning until 11:00 at night - and left the puppy tied to the chain with no food or water. He cried all day, and my other neighbor and I went over and gave him water and untangled his chain, which was wrapped around the pole. They continued to ignore the dog, and the only time they ever paid attention to it was when they screamed at it to shut up. It broke my heart. He was a really nice puppy despite the way they treated him. I called the local Humane Officer twice on them. The first time, she came out and talked to them, but nothing was done and they continued abusing the puppy. The second time, I don't even know if she came out. We were going to steal him and give him to someone who would love him. Thankfully, they eventually gave the puppy away.
- —Guest Pam
Where do you turn?
- When you have contacted all available agencies in the area and you have no help, not even from the Humane Society where do you turn? I understand not everyone is an animal lover or cares as much but it is very frustrating to get referred from one agency to the other with no results when you have i.e.; a dog on a chain wrapped around a tree, heat of August, no water or shelter available, owner threatens me then I try to help the dog. Absolutely no help! I am at the end of my rope with Mississippi and their "non"agencies.
- —Guest Jenn
NO HELP FOR DOGS
- Apparently in Mississippi very few people care about their pets. I have reported to no avail, I have taken in dumped dogs, dropped off dog houses for free to dogs with no shelter, put food in the yard of starving dogs, given dog food to neglectful owners. It breaks my heart to see this abuse on a daily basis with no consequences for the owners. I have taken in a German Shorthair and kept and he has turned out to be the best dog, I have one in a kennel now that I rescued after it was dumped at a nearby church and is a very loving and smart dog. We have also experienced more times than not people leaving their pets when abandoning rental houses that we own and this was long before the economy got bad. I lose sleep at night trying to figure out ways to help these precious animals when it seems no one else cares. There is no enforcement of any sort in my county or possibly the state. My goal is to open a no kill shelter.
- —Guest Jenn
Unfortunately, a very bad experience
- I took in a horribly matted, extremely emaciated stray. Turns out he was brought to me the same day he escaped from his yard so his condition was not due to fending for himself on the streets - the owners had allowed him to get in that condition. The owners found out I had the dog and wanted the dog returned to them. I contacted NJ State SPCA to press cruelty/neglect charges against the owner. The SPCA was very unresponsive and slow in dealing with this. I had obtained veterinarian and groomer statements regarding the horrid condition of the dog. After 6 weeks of the nursing dog back to health, I was ordered by the NJ State SPCA to return the dog to his owner or face grand theft charges. An attorney advised me I had no choice as dogs are considered property in NJ. The owner was supposed to reimburse expenses but gave a bogus address and never paid. NJ State SPCA officer promised follow-up visits with me but would never respond to my inquiries.
- —Guest Daniela
PAM
- I reported someone for neglect and I was treated like a trouble-maker by Animal Control and the police. The dog eventually escaped and rescued himself.
- —Guest PAM
