A Guide to Reporting Suspected Animal Cruelty or Neglect in New York State

Also available in Spanish.  

Reporting Suspected Animal Cruelty and Neglect in New York State:
Why It’s Important and Who to Contact

Reporting suspected animal cruelty or neglect is critical.

If you witness or suspect animal cruelty or neglect or see an animal in danger, reporting it to the authorities is critical: it could save the animal’s life.

Reporting cruelty and neglect not only helps prevent animal suffering and ensure that the animal receives prompt medical attention. Your report may help in other ways, as animal abuse is often linked to violence against people — including child abuse, elder abuse, and domestic violence — and to other crimes.

It’s crucial that you timely report. The longer it takes between observing abuse or neglect and reporting it, the more challenging it becomes for law enforcement to locate the animal/person in question, the more likely it is that your observations may vary from the observations of law enforcement, and the more likely it is that the animal will continue to suffer.

What constitutes animal cruelty and neglect.

Whether particular conduct constitutes animal cruelty or neglect is ultimately a legal determination made by law enforcement or a court or jury. A person reporting suspected animal cruelty or neglect doesn’t have to prove cruelty or neglect, but should report if they reasonably suspect that an animal is being abused or neglected.

The New York State Attorney General provides the following examples of animal cruelty and neglect:

• Animal fighting
• Inadequate or improper shelter or care
• Animals being kept in filthy or unsanitary living conditions
• Abandonment
• Performing unauthorized surgery on an animal
• Maiming or killing of an animal
• Failure to provide food, drink or medical treatment
• Animal hoarding 

How to report suspected animal cruelty or neglect.

For crimes in progress or emergencies, call 911 or go to your local police precinct.

For other suspected animal cruelty or neglect:

• In New York City (Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island):
  • Call 311
  • Submit a report to 311 at https://portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-02224
  • Call NYPD’s Crime Stoppers tip line at (800) 577-TIPS
  • Submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers at http://nypdcrimestoppers.com/
  • Download and submit a tip through the Crime Stoppers mobile app, available at https://www1.nyc.gov/site/nypd/services/see-say-something/crimestoppers.page
• Outside of New York City:
  • Contact your county’s local police and (where available) local SPCA/animal. Contact information for each New York State county follows on the next page.

What information to provide.

When reporting, give as many details as you can: describe the perpetrator, what you observed, and how many times you observed it; provide dates and approximate times if possible, as well as the address where the alleged cruelty or neglect took place. Pictures and video evidence are also helpful if you can safely and legally obtain them.

Don’t worry if you can’t “prove your case.” The job of law enforcement is to investigate suspicious activity. Your report, even if lacking some details, can still be useful evidence to help law enforcement determine the facts and any need for further action.

Keep a record of what information you reported, along with the date you reported it, and the officer or official to whom you spoke. Check back after a reasonable amount of time. If you don’t get a satisfactory response, contact them again.

You can report anonymously.

You can report suspected animal cruelty or neglect anonymously. That said, a successful outcome is more likely to occur if you’re willing to give your name and, if needed, testimony. Law enforcement often is understaffed and underfunded. A case is more likely to be pursued if the person reporting gives their name and indicates a willingness to help, including by testifying. If you do ask to remain anonymous, law enforcement will do everything possible to protect your identity.

Contact Information for Police and SPCAs/Humane Societies in New York State (by County)