April is Prevention of Cruelty to Pets Month and we have a great article on the legal definition of cruelty to animals. Unfortunately, there are a lot of things that we may deem cruel or neglectful that don’t meet the definition under the law and that can be quite frustrating for animal lovers.

So, how does an animal lover cope with these situations? As Shontel mentions in her article, contacting Animal Control is usually the first line of defense when cruelty is suspected. That’s what they’re there for! But what if the person suspected of cruelty is your neighbor or someone you have to interact with on an ongoing basis?

We had an instance last year involving an older client who received pet food deliveries. She complained that her next-door neighbor would leave their dogs out in the yard during very cold weather and the dogs would bark non-stop wanting to go in. She said that she tried talking to the neighbors, but nothing changed or improved. We advised her to call Animal Control, but she was afraid her neighbor would seek revenge. 

In this case, we contacted Animal Control on her behalf to request a welfare check of the animals.  We asked that Animal Control officers not divulge the name of the person complaining, and shared that as an older person living alone, she was afraid of retaliation. Animal Control was understanding and agreed to not mention names. Using a third party is definitely an option and it doesn’t have to be an animal charity—it can be a family member or friend who lives elsewhere. And, if the neighbor does give you a hard time, call the police!

What we should not be willing to do is sit back and ever allow an animal to be harmed or neglected.  They rely on us to be their voices in an increasingly hostile world. Are you willing to speak up on their behalf?