The shocking number of animal cruelty cases reported every day is just the tip of the iceberg—most cases are never reported. Unlike violent crimes against people, cases of animal abuse are not compiled by state or federal agencies, making it difficult to calculate just how common they are. However, we can use the information that is available to try to understand and prevent cases of abuse.
Who abuses animals?
Cruelty and neglect cross all social and economic boundaries and media reports suggest that animal abuse is common in both rural and urban areas.
- Intentional cruelty to animals is strongly correlated with other crimes, including violence against people.
- Hoarding behavior often victimizes animals. Sufferers of a hoarding disorder may impose severe neglect on animals by housing far more than they are able to adequately take care of. Serious animal neglect (such as hoarding) is often an indicator of people in need of social or mental health services.
- Surveys suggest that those who intentionally abuse animals are predominantly men under 30, while those involved in animal hoarding are more likely to be women over 60.
Most common victims
The animals whose abuse is most often reported are dogs, cats, horses and livestock. Undercover investigations have revealed that animal abuse abounds in the factory farm industry. But because of the weak protections afforded to livestock under state cruelty laws, only the most shocking cases are reported, and few are ever prosecuted.
Organized cruelty
Dogfighting, cockfighting and other forms of organized animal cruelty go hand in hand with other crimes, and continues in many areas of the United States due to public corruption.
- The HSUS documented uniformed police officers at a cockfighting pit in Kentucky.
- The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has prosecuted multiple cases where drug cartels were running narcotics through cockfighting and dogfighting operations.
- Dozens of homicides have occurred at cockfights and dogfights.
- A California man was killed in a disagreement about a $10 cockfight bet.
The HSUS’s investigative team combats complacent public officials and has worked with the FBI on public corruption cases in Tennessee and Virginia. In both instances, law enforcement officers were indicted and convicted.
Correlation with domestic violence
Data on domestic violence and child abuse cases reveal that a staggering number of animals are targeted by those who abuse their children or spouses.
- There are approximately 70 million pet dogs and 74.1 million pet cats in the U.S. where 20 men and women are assaulted per minute (an average of around 10 million a year).
- In one survey, 71 percent of domestic violence victims reported that their abuser also targeted pets.
- In one study of families under investigation for suspected child abuse, researchers found that pet abuse had occurred in 88 percent of the families under supervision for physical abuse of their children.
To put a stop to this pattern of violence, the Humane Society Legislative Fund supported the Pets and Women’s Safety (PAWS) Act, introduced to Congress in 2015 as H.R. 1258 and S.B. 1559. The PAWS Act would give victims of domestic abuse means to escape their abusers while keeping their companion animals safe—many victims remain in abusive households for fear of their pets’ safety.
State legislative trends
The HSUS has long led the push for stronger animal cruelty laws and provides training for law officials to detect and prosecute these crimes. With South Dakota joining the fight in March of 2014, animal cruelty laws now include felony provisions in all 50 states.
First vs. subsequent offense
Some state laws only allow felony charges if the perpetrator has a previous animal cruelty conviction. Given that only a fraction of animal cruelty acts are ever reported or successfully prosecuted, the HSUS is committed to supporting felony convictions in cases of egregious cruelty regardless of whether the perpetrator has a prior conviction.
- 46 of 50 states’ felony provisions are first-offense provisions.
- Four states (Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa and Mississippi) have laws that apply felony charges only to subsequent offenses.
- A majority of anti-cruelty laws are limited to cases involving aggravated cruelty, torture or cruelty to companion animals.
Changes in federal tracking
On January 1, 2016, the FBI added cruelty to animals as a category in the Uniform Crime Report, a nationwide crime reporting system commonly used in homicide investigations. While only about a third of U.S. communities currently participate in the system, the data generated will help create a clearer picture of animal abuse and guide strategies for intervention and enforcement. Data collection covers four categories: simple/gross neglect, intentional abuse and torture, organized abuse (such as dogfighting and cockfighting) and animal sexual abuse.
The Criminal, Underground World of Dogfighting
Dogfighting is a type of blood sport in which dogs are forced to fight one another for the entertainment and/or profit of spectators.
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Dogfighting is one of the most heinous forms of animal cruelty. Dogs used for fighting are typically raised in isolation, so they spend most of their lives on short, heavy chains. They are regularly conditioned for fighting through the use of drugs, including anabolic steroids to enhance muscle mass and encourage aggressiveness. Dogfighting victims may have their ears cropped and tails docked close to their bodies to minimize the animal’s normal body language cues and to limit areas that another dog can grab during a fight. Fighters usually perform this cropping/docking themselves using crude and inhumane techniques.
Although dogfighting is a felony in all 50 states, it continues to occur in every part of the country and in every type of community. Fights can happen in a variety of locations ranging from back alleys to carefully-staged enterprises. Fights typically take place in a 14-20 square-foot pit designed to contain the animals. Fights can last just a few minutes or several hours, and both animals may suffer injuries including puncture wounds, lacerations, blood loss, crushing injuries and broken bones. Although fights are not usually to the death, many dogs succumb to their injuries later, and losing dogs are often discarded, killed or brutally executed as part of the “sport.”
Dogfighting is often associated with other forms of criminal activity including illegal gambling and possession of drugs and firearms. By our estimate, there are tens of thousands of dogfighters in the U.S., forcing hundreds of thousands of dogs to train, fight, and suffer every year.
To learn more, visit A Closer Look at Dogfighting.
Help Us End Dogfighting Today
If you suspect dogfighting or other animal abuse is happening in your community, please speak up. Find out how to report animal cruelty.
How to Spot Signs of Dogfighting
It is important to be able to recognize the signs identified with dogfighting so that you can report any suspected dogfighting activity to your local authorities.
If you witness the following signs in your community and suspect dogfighting activity, you should consider contacting your local authorities immediately:
- Dogs with multiple scars, possibly with lips or ears ripped off
- Pit bull-mix-type dogs weighing approximately 40-50 pounds
- Dogs on heavy chains, tethered to a tire axle or dog house/barrel
- Dirt ring around the dog
- Dogs chained inches apart from one another
- Dogs chained or penned in a secluded area intentionally kept out of the public’s view
Keep in mind that in urban communities like New York City, dogs used for fighting are often found living in secluded, indoor areas such as basements, where they are hidden from public view. Their ears may also be cropped.
A Complex Issue
Animal hoarding occurs when an individual is housing more animals than he or she can adequately care for. It is a complex issue that encompasses mental health, animal welfare and public safety concerns. Animal hoarding is defined by an inability to provide even minimal standards of nutrition, sanitation, shelter and veterinary care—often resulting in animal starvation, illness and death. In the majority of cases, animal hoarders believe they are helping their animals and deny this inability to provide minimum care.
Not everyone who has multiple animals is an animal hoarder. There are several signs that may indicate someone is an animal hoarder:
- They have numerous animals and may not know the total number of animals in their care.
- Their home is deteriorated (i.e., dirty windows, broken furniture, holes in the wall and floor, extreme clutter).
- There is a strong smell of ammonia, and floors may be covered with dried feces, urine, vomit, etc.
- Animals are emaciated, lethargic and not well-socialized.
- Fleas and vermin are present.
- The individual is isolated from the community and appears to neglect him- or herself.
- The individual insists that all of their animals are happy and healthy—even when there are clear signs of distress and illness.
Every year in the United States, a quarter of a million animals fall victim to hoarding. Animals collected range from cats and dogs to reptiles, rodents, birds, exotics and even farm animals. Animal hoarding is covered implicitly under every state’s animal cruelty statute, which typically requires caretakers to provide sufficient food, water and veterinary care. However, only two states, Illinois and Hawaii, currently have statutory language specifically addressing animal hoarding. In most cases, criminal prosecution of animal hoarding can be a difficult process and may not be the most effective route, since hoarders are often emotionally troubled rather than criminally inclined.
If you think someone you know is struggling with animal hoarding, pick up the phone and call your local humane law enforcement department, police department, animal shelter, animal welfare group or veterinarian to initiate the process of getting them—and the animals—the help they need.
Help the ASPCA Protect Animals from Hoarding
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