Not under my roof!

As it is with hoarding animals, this form of abuse occurs at the home, and because of this it is mainly only family members and close friends who visit who notice it. The animal is rarely also abused outside unless the owner is sure of his position within the society and that it will go undetected. The person who sees one or more of the below facts often dismisses the notion of animal cruelty and sums it up to the owner merely having one bad day, if you find this situation I urge you to delve deeper.



There are many reasons that an owner may choose to abuse his or her pet, and the most common aspect they have is control. A pet can be used to demonstrate power and control over the family, and to enforce submission in a specific victim. As well as maintaining an environment of fear which can isolate the victims and punish them, it can be used to prevent the victim from leaving or to intimidate them to return.

There are many signs of animal cruelty, but don’t think this a lucky thing, many are subtle and difficult to spot, and those spotted are sometimes put down to another excuse. Some of the physical signs are untreated skin conditions that leave scaly, hairless skin with bumps and rashes, fur infested with fleas, ticks and other parasites, and heavy discharge from the eyes and nose.

The animal may appear to be confused or lethargic, and extreme thinness with protruding bones, matted dirty fur, and overgrown nails are also all signs. It may walk with a limb or be unable to stand up, with a collar that has embedded itself or caused a neck wound. Sometimes, it can even be a case of wounds being left unchecked and having a maggot infestation, or multiple healing scars from the last beating.

If you cannot get close to the animal, try to see what form of living quarters they are provided with; remember the abuse comes in many covert forms. Is the pet kept outside in horrible weather without shelter, if shelter is provided is food and water supplied, is that food and water sanitary?

Are the animals living areas decimated with faeces, garbage or something as harmful as broken glass? Are the living quarters themselves too small and crowded so that there is no room to move for exercise?

Just remember, it isn’t always as simple as physically seeing an owner beat his or her animal, more often the signs are something you have to look out for purposely. More information can be found here.