How to Help an Abused or Neglected Dog
What should you do if you suspect a dog is being neglected or abused?
Jolanta Benal, CPDT-KA, CBCC-KA
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How to Help an Abused or Neglected Dog
A reader, Misa, writes about a problem her mother faced. An elderly friend was suddenly hospitalized and Misa’s mom went to take care of the friend’s dog. She hadn’t met the dog before and was distressed to see his coat so matted that his skin was sore. And she found signs that the friend was drinking a lot. The hospitalized man has refused offers from Misa’s mother and other acquaintances to pay for the dog’s grooming and other care. Misa wonders what avenues for help might exist.
First things first. Although this podcast is called The Dog Trainer, obviously today’s article applies to cats and other companion animals as well. I imagine we’ve all seen animals treated in ways that made us wince. A dog living on a chain in the backyard. A heavy-coated dog matted to the point of pain like the one Misa’s mother encountered. At the park, Dog A snags Dog B’s ball and plays keep-away; Dog A’s owner smacks her, hard, when he finally catches up.
Should You Approach a Stranger Who’s Mistreating a Dog?
Few of us are born with the diplomatic skills needed for a successful talk with a complete stranger about how she’s treating her dog–unless “success” means nothing more than venting dismay. I’ll admit I’ve done that more than once. But confrontation and shaming are probably just as counterproductive with people as punitive behavior modification techniques are with dogs. You might well suppress the problem behavior in the moment, but you might also find the person lashing out at you in return. And I’m betting she won’t be inclined to reevaluate her behavior toward her dog.
How to Approach Other Dog Owners
A tactful approach may well not work, but it’s probably the only approach that stands any chance of helping. If you’re a fellow jogger, try falling into step with that oblivious runner and offering a heads-up–“Hey, I was behind you on the path and I happened to notice your dog’s lagging some. Long run today?” Grit your teeth and offer empathy to the person at the dog park who hits his dog–“She must get on your nerves with that behavior …” He may feel humiliated too; the ether is thick with gobbledegook about how if only your dog respected you as alpha she would always obey, so what does it say about him that he has such a rascal for a pooch? I’m not suggesting you get him into therapy, but a few minutes of friendly conversation might enable you to point him toward a good trainer in your city.
Be Sure You Understand the Situation
Bear in mind, too, that you may be mistaking the situation. A woman in my neighborhood adopted a nearly starved dog a couple of years ago. For the first month or so, as he transitioned from emaciated to merely skinny, people were doing double takes whenever the two of them walked by. Otherwise healthy young dogs sometimes break out in generalized demodectic mange.
It looks and smells god-awful, but reflects nothing more sinister than an immature immune system.
If what’s going on obviously violates animal protection laws, try to document the situation, and call the police.
What to Do When a Dog is in Danger
What about an emergency, where the dog is being beaten or otherwise injured, or is in danger of death? Intervening yourself is risky, just as it is when a human’s being assaulted. If what’s going on obviously violates animal protection laws, by all means call the police. Take pictures if you can. New York State, where I live, has a law against leaving companion animals in unventilated cars during hot weather; you can find your own state statutes online to learn what protections they afford.
Animal Protection Laws Vary Widely
Coverage ranges widely. In some places, it’s illegal to keep a dog indefinitely chained. Most of the statutes I looked at require that an outdoor dog have adequate shelter–a cringe producer for those of us who believe no pet dog should be living outdoors at all. Sadly, the American Humane Association reports that in Idaho, North and South Dakota, and Mississippi, cruelty to animals is not a felony.
What to Do If You Know the Dog Owner
When the dog in question belongs to a friend or neighbor, you might have more to work with. Maybe the problem grew out of difficult circumstances that you and other friends can help with. Say your neighbor isn’t taking his obviously ill dog to the vet. Maybe he doesn’t care, but on the other hand maybe he lost his job and can barely pay for dog food right now. Can you research sources of low-cost veterinary care? Even something that simple might not occur to a person under stress. Misa’s mother offered to take the hospitalized man’s dog for grooming. Sadly, he refused—but not everyone will.
Tread carefully if the dog needs veterinary or other care that the guardian can’t or won’t provide. Legally speaking, animals are property, so simply taking away a mistreated animal may be considered theft. And veterinarians require the owner’s consent for any procedure involving sedation or anesthesia. Besides, as the American Humane Association points out, taking an animal away does nothing to prevent the person from getting another and treating him or her just as badly as the first.
Consider the Animal’s Realistic Options
You might consider, too, what the animal’s options are. My friend and colleague Viviane Arzoumanian offers the example of an elderly dog strongly bonded to a person who lets his coat get matted and doesn’t take him to the vet often enough. Are you doing the dog any favors if you remove him from that home and he winds up in a shelter instead? Most dogs find the shelter environment highly stressful; old animals are less flexible and resilient than the young, and less likely to be adopted quickly, or at all.
How to Report Animal Cruelty
You may or may not be able to help a particular animal, and that’s partly because the problem is bigger than any one person can solve. Here’s what the American Humane Association has to say about reporting animal cruelty: “Humane officers try to respond quickly to complaints, but get a lot of calls every day and can’t always respond the moment you call.” What that sentence doesn’t say, but obviously implies, is that there aren’t enough humane officers to meet the need. Just as a random sample I happened across while researching this article: the humane law enforcement division of the Monmouth County, New Jersey, SPCA investigates 900 complaints a year and receives no public funding at all. This even though Monmouth County ranks 53rd in per capita personal income of all counties in the United States.
Many of us would agree that animals must have better protection than they have. Lobby, write letters to lawmakers, join groups that press the agenda you think is right. Sometimes you can’t help the animal right in front of you, but you can make it possible to help others, elsewhere, even if it’s years from now.
Send your questions and comments to dogtrainer@ quickanddirtytips.com, or call them in to 206-600-5661, and I may use them in a future article. You can also find me on Facebook, where I post links to articles and videos and respond to your questions. Thanks for reading!
Resources
The American Humane Association, “the only national organization dedicated to protecting children and animals,” offers advice on helping animals when you suspect neglect or abuse.
State statutes are available and searchable online. To find yours, search on [State Nam + state + laws. The state’s legal code will usually be the first hit. In searching the laws themselves, I’ve found “cruelty” to be the best search term. Bear in mind that your county and municipality may also have enacted relevant ordinances.
Pet-Abuse.com is a national database of animal abuse cases and a compendium of general information on the subject. Please be warned: it’s extremely distressing. Some of the legal information also appears to be out of date.
Here is a comprehensive list of sources of financial assistance for veterinary expenses. Bear in mind that, given the present economic climate, many will be overstretched
Image courtesy of Shutterstock
About the Author
Jolanta holds professional certifications in both training and behavior counseling and belongs to the Association of Professional Dog Trainers and the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. She also volunteered with Pet Help Partners, a program of the Humane Society of the United States that works to prevent pet relinquishment. Her approach is generally behaviorist (Pavlovian, Skinnerian and post-Skinnerian learning theory) with a big helping of ethology (animal behavior as observed in non-experimental settings).