Get to know neighbourhood pets. Notice how they look and how they’re treated. Keep your eyes and ears open for changes in their behaviour and appearance. Here are common clues an animal might be in trouble. They don’t necessarily mean a pet has been hurt on purpose, but these clues should not be ignored.
Look for animals who:
- Have cuts, scrapes, or other bruises
- Have ticks or fleas
- Are missing fur, lack grooming. Without regular grooming, a pet, especially a long-haired one, can get massive matting and sores. Mange, caused by tiny parasites, leads to itching, loss of hair and sores from scratching and biting to relieve the irritation. Mange is easily treated with medicated baths.
- Are limping or otherwise showing signs of untreated injury.
- Duck, whimper, or act aggressive when certain people approach, specifically the owner of the dog. If you reach for the dog and it cowers or whimpers, that’s a sure sign that it is being abused.
- Are almost always left outside chained or otherwise. Left alone for long periods of time, constant barking and sounds of distress.
- Are too thin. Starvation is caused not only by lack of food, but also by improper food, untreated disease and parasites (like worms).
- Whose collar is too tight, not increasing the size of a collar as an animal grows causes injury, strangulation and death.
- Whose surroundings are dirty, walking or sleeping in his or her own feces
- You’ve witnessed yourself being beaten or abused by his owner or his family. Choking, dunking heads under water, setting tails on fire, kicking and hitting are all acts of cruelty aimed toward family pets. The parent may not be aware of these acts but the acts themselves could indicate signs of child abuse within the home.
If you see any of these signs or witness someone hurting an animal, try to remember details. Write it down, take pictures. What did you see or hear? Where? When? Were there other witnesses? The more you can recall, the greater the chance that a mistreated animal will get help and the person responsible will be caught.
Do NOT confront the abuser yourself. Report it to your local authorities and let them handle it as they are trained to do.
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just because a dog has fles dosnt mean that their owner is abusing them. mabey they got fleas from a stray cat or some thing! and my dog has cuts cuz she plays rough but shes not abused!
ahhhh
animal cruelty makes me sick!!!
you should try some protesting and get a group of about 100 people to do the protesting with you
Animal abuse is cruel and wrong and in my personal opinion… an eye for an eye as they say. How bout i duct tape you and starve you to death or drag you by the back of my truck. Then tell me how freakin funny you think abusing an animal is…..JUSS SAYIN.