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When it comes to preventing animal abuse, a vigilant public and alert law enforcement officers are the eyes and ears in the community. Reporting suspected abuse to Humane Officers can save a life and prevent a lot of suffering.
When reporting possible animal neglect or abuse, be sure to take the following steps:
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In Pittsburgh, call 412-847-7066 any time of the day or night to make your report.
By lodging the complaint on this line, you give us the opportunity to check our database for prior contacts with this address, to get proper directions, to decide if we need police backup, and to determine many other factors about our course of action.
- Please do not leave us a message asking us to call you back to get the information you want to report. Leave an address, a brief synopsis of the concern and a call-back number.
We often receive dozens of calls a day. Sometimes we’re unavailable for hours at a time because we’re in court, and we need to have all of the information up front so we can refer the matter to another agency. Also, if we happen to be in that neighborhood on another call, that is the time for us to attend to the new call, not when we have already cleared the area and are 30 miles away. Providing the address is critical to enabling us to handle the complaints quickly and efficiently.
- Make sure you have a correct address.
Unfortunately, Humane Officers sometimes have to abandon our attempts to investigate some of the complaints we received because we simply couldn’t find the location of the animal. If you cannot see a house number, report the number of the house next door, give us a cross street and describe the appearance of the house. Be sure to include the neighborhood area or the zip code.
- Understand that Humane officers have limited powers and jurisdiction.
In Pennsylvania, HSPOs (Humane Society Police Officers) are not allowed to enforce the dog laws concerning licensing, rabies vaccinations, dangerous dogs, dog bites, barking complaints and running-at-large issues. We are not allowed to enforce any laws that involve theft. Custody conflicts regarding animals are usually civil in nature and should be addressed by an attorney. HSPOs are not allowed to give legal advice, nor can they enforce any local ordinances. Kathy and Katie do not handle admissions of animals to the shelter, except when they have seized the animal. Unfortunately, due to the volume of complaints that we receive, we cannot offer TNR (trap, neuter and release) services to help address the stray cat overpopulation problem. We simply do not have the resources or personnel to trap strays. At the end of the article are phone numbers that may come in handy when a Humane Officer cannot assist you.
- If you aren’t sure if the situation you are concerned about is legal or not, or if you just want to be educated about Pennsylvania animal laws, please visit the Web site of the Pennsylvania Federation of Humane Societies.
The Federation’s Web site (www.humaneinpa.org) offers a complete listing of all the laws regarding animal cruelty, Title 18, Section 5511. You can also find valuable information on current and pending legislation, seminars, training and workshops, as well as other pertinent information about Humane Society Police Officer activities.
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