How to report the abuse of animals

As animal rescue professionals, we are often the first point of contact for friends, family and work colleagues for what to do in the case of someone witnessing animal abuse.  And what defines animal abuse anyway?  There are a number of good resources and blogs on the subject and we’ve summarized them below:

• Animal Legal Defense Fund (aldf.org) – The animal legal defense fund is a professional association for attorneys focused on animal welfare and animal law and is a great source of information on the topics of animal abuse.  They have even built a mobile app called LiveSafe that allows you to appropriately document and report the animal neglect or abuse.

  Live Safe – iPhone App Download
  Life Safe – Android App Download

• American Humane.org – American Humane.org is probably best known for their staffing resources on the sets of blockbuster movies to certify that the animals used in the movie were treated humanely.  They have a quick guide for assessing the abuse situation that is good for the general public to utilize in determining the extent of the abuse.

  • Quick Steps for Animal Abuse

• Michigan State University – Michigan State University has a comprehensive page on animal abuse including multiple links based upon the type of abuse witnessed. Further they have a state by state guide that is the most comprehensive of those that we have seen on how to report it in your specific state:

  • Reporting animal abuse