Animal Cruelty and Neglect
What is Cruelty? What is Neglect?
There are two main categories of animal cruelty -- passive and active cruelty.
Passive cruelty involves cases of neglect or abandonment. Examples of neglect include starvation, dehydration, parasite infestations, allowing a collar to grow into an animal's skin, inadequate shelter in extreme weather conditions, and failure to seek veterinary care when an animal needs medical attention.
Active cruelty implies malicious intent, where a person has deliberately and intentionally caused harm to an animal, including the animal being beaten, mutilated, set on fire, shot or killed. Animal fighting and puppy mills are also considered active cruelty.
Recognizing Animal Cruelty
Below is a list of signs that may indicate an animal is being neglected or abused:
- tick or flea infestations
- open wounds and signs of multiple healed wounds
- patches of missing hair
- extreme thinness, appearance of starving
- limping, weakness and the inability to stand or walk normally
- pets who are repeatedly left alone without food and water and chained in a yard
- pets who are kept outside without shelter in extreme weather conditions
- pets who cower in fear or act aggressively when approached
- collar so tight that it has caused a neck wound or has become embedded in the neck
- inadequate grooming, such as extreme matting of fur
- heavy discharge from eyes or nose
- pets kept in an area littered with feces, garbage, broken glass or other objects that could harm them
- animals are housed in kennels or cages that are too small to allow them to stand, turn around and make normal movements
Please note: In the City of Minneapolis, animals cannot wear collars weighing over 2 pounds and cannot be tethered by a rope or chain weighing over 5 pounds. Violations are considered animal cruelty.
To report animal abuse, call Minneapolis Animal Care & Control (MACC) at 311.
What we do
MACC investigates all complaints of animal abuse. When instances of animal cruelty are substantiated, MACC works with the City Attorneys Office to prosecute these cases. MACC keeps records of pet owners with convictions and complaints of animal abuse.
Penalties
Under Minnesota State Statute, the maximum penalty for a conviction of animal cruelty is a felony punishable by 4 years in jail, a $10,000 fine and/or the prevention of future ownership of animals. For cases that are less severe and not prosecuted through the City Attorneys Office, the minimum fine imposed is $500.00.
For more information on animal cruelty
Also See:
MN Statute 343.21 Overworking or Mistreating Animals
MN Statute 343.40 Doghouses
MN Statute 343.29 Exposure of Animals
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