Investigating Animal Cruelty 23 What to do 1. Talk to the local humane society, animal control agency, large animal veterinarian or livestock inspector who can help you make arrangements at an appropriate facility or request that they come on site to help evaluate the animals’ condition. If they are not available, ask if they can assist by coordinating a group of farmers, horse owners or stables that might board the animals while the case is in litigation. 2. Talk to the district attorney’s office to see if it can assist with plans to care for the animals once they are secured. 3. Coordinate an effort with the local humane agency and a veterinarian for the day you plan to execute the search warrant. 4. Execute the search warrant and have the veterinarian and animal handling team enter the property. 5. Take photographs of the individual animals and their environment. Take detailed photographs of any sores or injuries. 6. Have the veterinarian examine each animal and provide a signed statement as to the condition of the animals. 7. In cases involving horses, it is strongly recommended that you use the Henneke body condition scoring system (shown below). This system is an objective method of evaluating a horse’s body condition regardless of breed, body type, gender or age. It is accepted in court as a scientific method to support neglect allegations. 8. Have the local animal control agency or humane society remove the animals from the property. 9. Cite or arrest the owner. Purina body condition scales Use these scales to assess body condition, weather/environmental safety and physical care. These scales are designed to help animal control officers, cruelty investigators, veterinarians, etc. more accurately determine the condition of a potentially neglected dog or cat. With these guidelines in hand, an officer can objectively assess an animal’s physical condition and determine the degree of neglect or level of care provided by the owner. After the officer has evaluated the animal’s health, he/she may simply offer the owner some care guidelines and discuss the potential health risks posed to the animal. However, in more extreme cases, the officer might seize an animal, record the body condition score (BCS) in the report and submit the evaluation as evidence in a court case (see Appendix IV for charts) It is important to note that the BCS is only one indication of neglect. Animals under veterinary treatment for cancer or other diseases can score low on the scale. However, animals labeled as very underweight or emaciated should be considered prime suspects for neglect unless the owner can provide veterinary records showing the animal is under care for the alleged condition. The Henneke body condition scoring system This system is accepted in court as a scientific method of scoring a horse’s body condition. To evaluate a horse’s condition, ACOs and veterinarians use a standard system of checks developed by Don Henneke, PhD., whose illustration and chart originally appeared in the Equine Veterinary Journal in 1983. The system involves massaging and scoring six main parts of a horse’s body—the neck, withers, shoulder, ribs, loin and tailhead—on a scale of 1 to 9 for their fat content. This system is an objective method of evaluating a horse’s body condition regardless of breed, body type, gender or age. It is accepted in court as a scientific method to support neglect allegations. A note about scoring qualifications for court: it is important to use an equine veterinarian or law enforcement officer who has been trained specifically in scoring. If you have not received specialized training, work Common complaints
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