Investigating Animal Cruelty 25 deposition behind the shoulder, around the tailhead and along the neck and withers. It is important to note that the Henneke system is only one indicator of neglect. You must determine whether underweight horses are under veterinary care for their condition. If the owner cannot provide proof that they are, then they should be considered strong suspects for neglect. Scenario 4: Physical abuse You are on patrol when you receive a call to respond to an address where a man is reportedly beating a dog with a baseball bat in the front yard. The complainant is a concerned neighbor who lives across the street and immediately called 911 when she heard the dog’s cries and witnessed the man beating the dog. The neighbor stated that she was concerned not only for the dog, but also for the safety of the man’s wife and young child who live with him. According to the witness, the same man has been in trouble before for domestic violence. The witness describes the man as a white male with a stocky build, balding or with extremely short hair, and wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans. The dog is chained to a post and appears to be a black Labrador retriever. The complainant offers to sign a sworn statement regarding what she witnessed. You request that animal control meet you at the location. Clearly, this is a situation involving exigent circumstances. An animal control officer meets you at the address. When you arrive, you don’t see the dog or the man who was allegedly beating it, but you do observe a baseball bat stained with what appears to be fresh blood near a post with a chain attached as you approach the front door of the house (remember the plain view doctrine). As you knock on the front door and announce your presence, you hear a dog whimpering and you notice a black dog lying in the weeds under some nearby shrubbery. Closer inspection by the animal control officer reveals that the dog is bleeding profusely from the head and one leg appears to be broken. Suddenly, a man steps out from a side yard and demands to know what you’re doing on his property. He’s wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans, and his appearance closely matches the description provided by the caller. You also notice that the man’s shirt appears to be stained with blood. In this scenario, your reaction to the man’s sudden presence depends entirely on his response to your ensuing verbal commands. At this point in your investigation he is the prime suspect. Pursuant to the laws in most states, you will be placing him under arrest for committing a felony offense such as ”extreme” or ”aggravated” cruelty to an animal. People inflict physical abuse on animals for many reasons: • A person could be angry at a dog for digging up the yard, barking or for no other reason than the animal becomes a convenient target for taking out their frustration or anger. • The person wants to shock, threaten, intimidate or offend other people or to demonstrate a rejection of society’s rules. • Some individuals see harming an animal as a safe way to get revenge against another person. • In cases involving a contentious divorce or break-up, one side might try to hurt or threaten the other by intentionally harming a beloved pet. • Alcohol and/or drug abuse might also be a contributing factor. Methods of harming or killing animals include kicking, beating, shooting and poisoning. In even more disturbing cases, animal victims have been tortured, stabbed, mutilated, hanged, skinned alive or set on fire. The abuse may vary Common complaints
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