How To Report An Animal Shelter

An animal shelter should be a safe place, but sadly sometimes this is not the case.

Under no circumstances should this happen, but sometimes reporting an animal shelter is a must, due to abuse and mistreatment.

These cases represent a small percentage. However, it is very important to know how to proceed if you are sure that in a shelter there are not suitable conditions for housing animals or that, even, abuses are being committed.

When should an animal shelter be reported?

You can report an animal shelter when you are sure that abuse or mistreatment of animals takes place within the facility. The mistreatment of animals or the abuse of them are sanctioned and punished according to national laws.

Generally speaking, forms of physical and emotional abuse, such as lack of care or the inability to meet the basic needs of animals, are considered to be mistreatment.

Situations in which an animal shelter can be reported

The animal does not feed adequately in terms of quantity and quality of food. In addition, he is not provided with sufficient or suitable water for consumption.
The animal lives in an unhealthy environment. There is no adequate hygiene of the rooms where the animal is housed.
Physical violence is exercised on animals with tools that cause pain (belts, whips, etc.).
Animals are exploited by subjecting them to extreme physical exertion or by making them participate in fights.
Administration of prohibited substances (with the exception of treatments carried out by veterinarians).
Animals left on their own.

People who adopt a dog in a kennel.

Common sense is essential when deciding to report an animal shelter

It is important to use common sense when deciding to report an animal shelter. It is necessary to verify whether the animals are actually victims of abuse or mistreatment.

In addition, it is necessary to know the association or the company that manages the shelter for more information. Typically, these shelters also live on donations. Donors can be asked for information to find out how the shelter is managed. We must not forget that these shelters play an important role in countering the abandonment of our animal friends.

Sometimes, precisely because of the managers’ vocation to welcome abandoned animals, situations can arise in which the number of animals accepted is greater than the real capacity of the shelter. Therefore, the structure becomes saturated and the managers have difficulties (including economic ones) in providing the necessary care to the animals they host.

Does this mean that I don’t have to report?

The aim must be to help shelters offer the best living conditions to the animals they host. Before you report, if you are unable to contribute financially to the cost of the shelter, you can volunteer and promote adoption campaigns. We must try to find a decent home for animals where they can receive the love of a family.

However, if animals are found to be living in unhealthy conditions or are victims of any kind of physical and emotional violence, they should be reported.

Sad dog inside a cage in a kennel.