Reporting Animal Cruelty; Why, When, Where & How?

Do you know where and how to report cruelty in your community? The ASPCA has a great FAQ page on their website which will answer many questions regarding animal abuse or cruelty, and provides information on recognizing and reporting it. The site also tells you how to talk to children about this important issue as well.

Some of the questions covered are:

What constitutes animal cruelty?
Why is it important to report animal cruelty?
There's an animal in my community who isn't being cared for properly-is that cruelty?
Are there laws against animal cruelty in my state?
Will someone who is found guilty of animal cruelty go to jail?
Why doesn't my community have animal cops like the ASPCA's Humane Law Enforcement agents?

Where do I report animal cruelty?
Where does the ASPCA have jurisdiction to pursue allegations of animal cruelty?
How do I find out what agencies are authorized to investigate and arrest instances of animal cruelty in my state?
Where can I report offensive depictions of animal cruelty on the Internet?
Where do I report animal cruelty taking place in a pet store?
What information should I have on hand when I make a report of animal cruelty?
If I report my suspicions that a neighbor is committing animal cruelty, and that person's animal is taken away and put in a shelter, isn't the animal worse off?
Is there anything specific I can say when I make a report of animal cruelty to persuade law enforcement to take it seriously?

There's much more information on the website as well. Check out this site at:

http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=cruelty_faq#animalcops