4.3 Required Information
In order to provide a response, the following information, at a minimum, is necessary:
Date and time the witness observed the incident/conditions.
Explicit address/location/directions where the incident occurred, including a description of the property, building, vehicles, and any other information the reporting party can provide that will guide the investigator in finding the animals and/or the suspect.
Number and type of animals involved, including descriptions such as breed and color.
Why the reporting party believes the animals are being neglected or abused.
Any information the witness can provide about the owner/suspect, such as name, physical description, place of work, vehicle description, and license plate number.
Can the animals or their conditions be viewed from the road or public property?
Are there any other witnesses to contact?
Has this incident been reported to any other agency? If so, what agency and when?
After your agency receives the report, it is prudent, if staffing and resources allow, to confirm the address, review online maps of the property, search relevant websites or social media posts that might be related to the incident or suspect, and generally verify any information provided that might inform you about the incident prior to contacting the suspect or performing a site visit.
4.4 Response Triage
It is all too common that animal control, law enforcement, and animal welfare organizations are working with limited resources, personnel, and equipment. Due to these circumstances and others – including vast geographic response areas, weather, holidays, etc. – an immediate or same‐day response to a report may be impractical or impossible. A system for triaging reports can help ensure that investigators attend to the most critical cases as soon as possible. When developing a triage matrix for your organization, it is important to set realistic response goals based on your agency's staffing and resources. A sample triage matrix might look like this:
Red (immediate response): Deceased or dying animal, or emergency such as a dog confined in a hot car, a horse stuck in flooded pasture, organized animal fight in progress, animal crime with human crime investigation in progress (such as domestic violence).
Orange (response within 24 hours): Abandoned animals without food or water, emaciated, ill, or injured animals, physical abuse with injury.
Yellow (response within 48 hours): Inadequate shelter (not life‐threatening), poor sanitation, hoarding/overcrowding, physical abuse (no injury observed), overgrown hooves, or lack of grooming.
4.5 Legitimate or Not? How to Decide
Unfortunately, as is the case with any agency that accepts reports from the public, some accounts that are filed with your office will be false or exaggerated, which is both a frustration and a time waster for responders. These calls can be the product of a family feud or dispute among neighbors and may be completely unfounded. Most states have laws in place that prohibit false reporting.
In other cases, the witness may disagree with the way an animal is being housed or trained, but the reality is that the owner is providing minimum care for the animal, as required by the laws in your state. As an example, the reporting party believes that a dog should not be secured by a chain to an outdoor doghouse. While most of us would agree that dogs are companion animals that should not live on a chain, in most states this is within the law, if all the components outlined for the provision of minimum care and shelter are being met.
Though sometimes while obtaining information needed to generate a case it will become clear the call is false or unfounded, most of the time a site visit is required to make that determination.
4.6 Responding to Calls: Initial Site Visit
4.6.1 Using All Your Senses
The moment the property or location of the report comes into view, you will begin using your senses of sight, hearing, smell, and touch to gather information for your case.
As you approach the location, be aware of any animals you see outdoors. Livestock animals may be easily visible, and you can assess the condition of their available pasture, make note of their behavior, and start to count the number of animals visible. A hoarding case may offer clues to what lies inside a home or outbuilding by the smells and sounds emanating from within (Figure 4.2).
Figure 4.2 The number of cats in this window offers a glimpse into conditions inside the home of an animal hoarder.
Source: Oregon Humane Society.
4.6.2 Attempting Contact: No One Home/No Answer
All attempts by an investigator to contact an owner and gain access to the animal(s) must be done through avenues within the laws of your state regarding a citizen's expectation of privacy and private property. Consult with your agency and your prosecutors to determine how your state's laws will guide your decisions in this regard.
If you knock on the door of a residence and no one is home or no one will answer the door, your investigation does not end there. You have already taken notice of what you could see, hear, and smell from your location in the driveway and on your walk to the door. Side yards, back yards, and any areas behind a door or a fence, such as barns and sheds, are generally considered off limits without consent or a search warrant; therefore, do not be tempted to have a look around in these areas. Such a decision is not only dangerous but is most likely unlawful.
To further your investigation, leave a card and instructions for the owner to contact you immediately regarding a concern for their animal(s). Agencies often find it useful to have printed notices that allow space to communicate with the animal owner, and which also clearly identify your agency and provide (Figure 4.3) contact numbers and email addresses.
Figure 4.3 Notices should be easy to read and posted in a conspicuous place.
Source: Oregon Humane Society.
Make sure to record in the case file the date and time you attempted contact, as well as your notes regarding observations. This may be a good time to attempt contact with neighbors who may be a witness to the animal(s), and you can leave a card with your contact information on those attempts at contact as well.
It is vital that you are responsive when a witness or a subject calls or emails regarding a case. Make sure your voicemail message includes your name and title, as well as the days you are on shift, and an alternative contact within the department for urgent matters. Utilize auto reply email features that will notify subjects if you are off shift and when they can expect to hear from you. Check your voice mailbox and email at least twice a day and follow up with contacts in a timely manner during your work week.