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Cracking Down on Animal Cruelty

February 13, 2008, 6:21PM MT

By Jennifer S Hayes

City of Austin provides free workshops to get the public involved in stopping the abuse.

City of Austin provides free workshops to get the public involved in stopping the abuse.

By Jennifer Hayes, Best Friends Staff

Have you ever gotten a nagging feeling when seeing a loose dog in the back of a pickup truck or a one who is continuously chained in a yard, but you never knew what you could do?

The City of Austin is taking the necessary steps to inform the public on how to identify and report suspected cases of animal cruelty. As part of ASPCA Mission: Orange Austin, to become a more compassionate community, Town Lake Animal Center (TLAC) is hosting workshops on how to recognize instances of animal cruelty as well as how to inform the proper authorities.

While originally created by Dorinda Pulliam of TLAC and Jacque Schultz of the ASPCA for city employees, the classes are now also open to the general public. Former city employee, and now TLAC volunteer Carla Penny, currently teaches the workshops.

What is animal cruelty?
According to the definition provided, “Animal cruelty is the act of causing unjustifiable pain, suffering, torture, injury or death to an animal. It also includes failing to provide necessary food, care, veterinary treatment, and shelter.”

“Our definition of cruelty, our definition of abuse, changes over time,” notes Penny. “Our growing awareness of the needs of animals makes it our responsibility as people to ensure their safety.” In fact, the law changes regularly, and what was previously considered acceptable, may now be against the law. For instance, it was only October 1, 2007 when it became illegal to tether an unattended dog in Austin. Now, if a dog is over six months old and lives primarily outside, he or she must be provided an enclosure of at least 150 square feet with adequate shelter and water.

(Business card graphic courtesy of the ASPCA®)

There are many different types of animal cruelty and Penny suggests that you utilize your eyes, ears, and even nose to help identify forms of cruelty. While various types of abuse, such as striking or mutilating an animal, are readily apparent, some other forms are less obvious. According to Austin City Codes, the owner or handler must provide the following; food that is species appropriate, drinkable water, health care, and suitable shelter. Animals must be transported in a safe manner, meaning not loose in the back of pickup trucks or in vehicles that are too hot or too cold. Dogs and roosters are not to be utilized for fighting and evidence of hoarding behavior should be reported. Please note that abuse is not limited solely to pets, but wildlife as well.

Unfortunately, there is no way to determine who is likely to be an animal abuser. With the exception of hoarding, there is no typical demographic for people who are cruel to animals. People of any age, gender, ethnicity, or income level are neither more nor less likely to mistreat animals. Even hoarders, who are usually older women, sometimes fit outside the mold.

Doing something to help
“Our intention is not to have you be animal cops,” says Penny. “We just want you to know when you see something that makes you uncomfortable; you can do something about it.”

In 2007, there were 469 reports of animal cruelty investigated in Austin. There were 32 Class A misdemeanors, seven seizures, and six state jail felony warrants issued during the course of the year. This was done by two Animal Cruelty detectives for the City of Austin and two Animal Cruelty detectives for Travis County.

There is a link tying animal cruelty with other illegal activities, such as violent crimes, property crimes, and drug use. Also, according to Penny, “There is a correlation between abusing a person and abusing an animal.” Not only can the level of mistreatment progress, but abusers may threaten to hurt another’s pet, to continue their subjugation of that person.

Often the cycle continues and those who were abused as children then grow up to become abusers themselves. That is one reason it is so important to report instances of cruelty, even if it is a child perpetrating the crime. Children who abuse animals are twice as likely to get in trouble for other forms of violence as those who do not. Reporting such acts may get the child help, which could prevent further escalation. Per Penny, in addition to helping the animal, “You may be having an impact you may not even know about.”

If you are in Austin/Travis County, and see what you perceive to be an instance of animal cruelty, do not confront the person personally. It is important that you alert the authorities. “Animal abuse is a crime, so report it as a crime,” notes Penny. Dial 311 for instances of neglect and other forms of non-life threatening danger. Those complaints are referred to animal control, who investigates the details. “For a lot of people, it’s just ignorance,” notes Penny, and awareness of the law prevents further incidents.

While you can call in anonymously, it is of greater assistance if you give your contact information, in case additional facts are needed. Note as many details as possible, such as an address and location where the incident occurred, the type of animal, and what you witnessed. If the occurrence is in a vehicle, in addition to the information about the event and animal itself, please note the make, model, color, and license plate number, as well as the location or intersection where the abuse occurred. If the animal is immediate danger of death, dial 911, but only in cases of extreme emergency.

Animal cruelty is a community issue. Although it may be easier to not get involved, the compassionate choice is to take a stand and assist investigators by reporting cases. Know that you are not only making a difference to that animal, but also becoming a component of the solution.

The next Animal Cruelty Identification and Reporting class will be:
Where: Town Lake Animal Center, 1156 West Cesar Chavez in Austin in the Davenport Conference Room
When: Wednesday, February 20 from 6:30 - 7:30 PM

For more information:
• Town Lake Animal Center
• Texas animal cruelty laws
• Austin City Codes (click on link to left for Title 3 Animal Regulation)
• No More Homeless Pets: The Link: Animal Abuse and Violence

How you can help:
• If you are in Austin and witness an instance of animal cruelty, call 311.
• If you do not live in Austin, contact your authorities in advance, to determine the best way to report animal cruelty.

Photo credit: lead photo of Carla Penny taken by Jennifer Hayes

Comments

Posted February 15, 2008, 12:16PM by moonvine

I tried to register for the course, but the registration form appears to be broken. I emailed them and hopefully they will fix it soon.

Posted February 22, 2008, 11:24PM by feralfriend

I took this course along with several others in the rescue and animal welfare community and found it to be informative and well presented.
Great work and thank you for making it easier to know when to intervene and to spot the signs earlier.

Posted October 28, 2008, 9:35AM by redriveratdawn

"know when to intervene" Sheila? Why don't you tell everyone what happened the last time YOU knew "when to intervene"? Or, shall I? I attended one of those meetings. They are a joke. The only reason I can find for those meetings exist is to encourage people to turn in other people who are minding their own business, because they encourage people to spy on each other. It is not about helping animals in the least. I have proof. Also, Ms. Penny could not come up with how many animals is "too many" when I asked her several times. Furthermore, TLAC talking about animal cruelty is the height of hypocrisy when they put live animals in the freezer (they can't even kill them right).

Posted May 06, 2008, 3:10PM by Kynama

This is ironic because Town Lake is now partnering with Petland. How can they claim to be fighting animal cruelty and then partner with a company that buys their pets from puppy mills? What message are they trying to send? It's not OK to abuse animals, but it's OK to support businesses that support animal cruelty. I hope BF decides to cover a story on this contradiction in values and ethics.

Posted February 13, 2008, 9:58PM by moonvine

Perhaps when TLAC stops killing more than 50% of the animals that come through its doors they can hold themselves out as experts on "cracking down on animal cruelty."

In the meantime, I'm sure animal control will continue to go after rescuers like they have been for the past 8 years or so.

Posted February 13, 2008, 10:9PM by GrrrVillage

I find your attitude toward animal control to be uninformed at best and offensive at worse, Moonvine. Please, in the spirit of the Best Friends Network, let's concentrate on the GOOD that is happening here. We all know there is plenty of negative out there in the world. Why dwell on that? You personally object to negativity being posted about your own activities; so why continue to harrass other posts?
I respect you, Moonvine, for the GOOD that you do for the animals. I prefer to focus on that. So let's take a look at the GOOD that has been posted here that is being done for the animals. That is what the spirit of Best Friends is all about.
Julie