Animal Neglect |
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| ©The HSUS |
| Victims of animal neglect suffer both physically and psychologically. |
Nearly 90 percent of animal abuse calls calls to animal control involve animal neglect.
Animal neglect can be defined as failure to provide proper food, water, veterinary care, shelter and socialization for an animal. Chaining an animal for an extended period of time can be considered neglect and is illegal in many municipalities and several states.
Sometimes, if the neglect is unintentional, the situation can be dealt with by educating the owner about basic animal care requirements. In more severe cases or in cases involving large numbers of animals (as in animal hoarding cases), more extensive intervention involves the legal system, and could prompt criminal charges and coordination between several agencies (e.g., social services and animal control).
Legal Options
Most states' animal cruelty statutes include provisions that address the minimum standards of care for an animal, often providing specific definitions of what constitutes adequate food, water, shelter and veterinary care. In many cases, animal neglect can be prosecuted as a felony if the neglect was intentional, malicious or extreme enough to be considered "torture" or to have caused extreme physical suffering or death. In recent years, The HSUS has seen at least a threefold increase in media reports of neglect cases that have been prosecuted as felonies.
Laws protecting farm animals from cruelty vary even more widely, but even in states where animal cruelty provisions are written to apply only to companion animals, there might be other provisions of the law that specifically address farm animal neglect and abuse. (Visit our animal cruelty state laws map to check your own state's animal cruelty statute.)
What You Can Do
Animal neglect should always be reported, regardless of the severity of the case. Even if all a local humane officer can do is visit the offender and advise him or her of how to properly care for the animal(s), it can potentially improve the quality of that animal's life and is certainly worthwhile.
Related Links
Resources to Fight Cruelty to Animals
Frequently Asked Questions about Animal Cruelty
What You Can Do About Animal Abuse
What You Can Do About Animal Cruelty on The Internet
Animal Hoarding Fact Sheet
Resources for Law Enforcement and Prosecutors
Selected Research: Connections Between Violence toward Animals and toward People
What To Do If Your Pet Is Abused or Killed
Animal Cruelty Demographics
Animal Cruelty Facts, Statistics and Trends
Animal Cruelty Laws by State
