Animal Neglect
All states have passed laws to prevent various forms of neglect. However, animal neglect cases can be challenging to identify, investigate and prosecute.
Animal neglect is a common type of animal cruelty where people do not provide adequate care for animals in their charge. Animal neglect may involve the following conduct (though each state may have differing laws on what constitutes animal neglect):
- Abandonment without proper food, water and shelter (this includes “foreclosure pets” who are abandoned in foreclosed homes)
- Failure to provide proper food, water and shelter
- Failing to provide medical care
- Hoarding
- Puppy Mills
- Starvation
- Tethering a dog outside without proper care
All states have passed laws to prevent various forms of neglect. However, animal neglect cases can be challenging to identify, investigate and prosecute. Additional issues arise in mass animal neglect cases, such as hoarding or puppy mills, and a concern as to housing and caring for the animals when resources are limited.
Resources
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Animal Neglect Facts (Animal Legal Defense Fund)
- Animal Neglect Facts: Federal Law (ALDF) - The Animal Welfare Act requires that minimum standards of care and treatment be provided for certain animals bred for commercial sale, used in research, transported commercially, or exhibited to the public. The Act provides guidelines for housing, enclosures, exercise, feeding, watering, sanitation and handling, but it does not regulate the type of experiments that can be performed on animals. It is enforced by the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
- Animal Neglect Law and Legal Definition
