Who to Contact
If you think an animal is being abused or neglected,
it is important that you do something about it. Your
involvement may be the animal’s only hope. If you
witness or suspect animal abuse/neglect in Westchester
County, please contact the SPCA of Westchester's 24
hour Animal Abuse Hotline immediately. All calls will
remain confidential.
SPCA of Westchester
Animal Abuse Hotline
24 Hours/7 Days a Week
914-941-7797
Westchester D.A.'s Office of Animal Abuse Complaints
Maryann Liebowitz
914-995-3400
914-995-3414
The city of Mt. Vernon is offering a $6,000 reward for
information about dog fighting rings. Call Mt. Vernon
Police at 914-665-2510.
In Putnam County:
Contact your Putnam Valley Dog Control Officer, Patti
Smith, for more information at
845-526-3293.
Please report websites that display acts of cruelty
to animals to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and
Department of Justice.
FBI New York
26 Federal Plaza, 23rd. Floor
New York, New York 10278-0004
newyork.fbi.gov
(212) 384-1000
FBI Albany
200 McCarty Avenue
Albany, New York 12209
albany.fbi.gov
(518) 465-7551
Department of Justice
E-mails to the Department of Justice, including the
Attorney General, may be sent to AskDOJ@usdoj.gov
Department of Justice Main Switchboard - 202-514-2000
Office of the Attorney General - 202-353-1555
What to Look For
Does the animal have access to food, water and shelter?
Is his/her area clean?
Does the animal have apparent injuries that have not
been treated?
Does the animal appear to be overly aggressive or timid?
Does the animal appear to be neglected? (Neglect is
vaguely defined as failure to provide an animal with
necessary food, water, shelter, rest, sanitation, ventilation,
space, or medical attention.)
Examples of neglect are starvation, dehydration, parasite
infestations, allowing a collar to grow into an animal’s
skin, inadequate shelter, and failure to seek veterinary
care when an animal needs medical attention.
Illegal animal fighting is a blood-sport in which animals
are specifically bred and trained to fight each other
within an enclosed pit or ring, for the benefit of individuals
who place bets on the animal they believe will win.
The fights are extremely brutal, with animals often
fighting to the death.
Animal abuse in violent homes can take many forms and
can occur for many reasons. Many times a parent or domestic
partner who is abusive may kill, or threaten to kill,
the household pets to intimidate family members into
sexual abuse, to remain silent about previous or current
abuse, or simply to psychologically torture the the
victims by flexing their "power".
New York State Humane Association's manual, "How
to Investigate Animal Cruelty in New York State - A
Manual of Procedures" is a comprehensive document
which includes chapters on all NYS laws pertinent to
animals - annotated with explanations, case law relevant
to animal cases, basic animal care standards, handouts
on various animal care topics, and articles pertinent
to various animal issues.
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