Animal Welfare and Protection

Reporting Animal Cruelty:
 

We depend upon and appreciate your assistance in reporting cases of animal cruelty. When such cases are reported, it becomes possible to help those who cannot help themselves.

How do I report a case of animal cruelty or neglect?

Please call 726-0301 and press option 0. An operator at our 24 hour message service will take all the details. Please leave your name and telephone number. This information is kept confidential but if you wish to remain anonymous you may do so. Please leave a description of the animal, the address of the problem and as many details about the owner and the animal’s situation as possible.

What kind of information is useful to us?

1. The name of the person and phone number who is reporting the complaint. All information will be kept in strict confidence.

2. The name of the community where the incident has occurred.

3. The street address of the problem is critical.
(If the problem is in a small community without street signs or numbers, or you think it may be difficult to find, please leave us information like the color and type of house or any recognizable landmark nearby, or the type of vehicle in the driveway. With a good detailed description the better we can respond to your concern.)

4. The name of the owners that are responsible for the animal/s being reported.

5. How many animals are affected.

6. What type of breed is the animal.

7. A good description of the animal's condition.

8. If you witness an animal being physically abused we can do nothing without a detailed description of the individual involved. It also helps to have as much information as possible so that we are prepared to handle a situation.

9. The period of time in which the animal has been in the described situation is important. For example, a puppy has been out in -10 degrees Celsius for four hours without shelter or the owner moved away two days ago and no one has been feeding the animal.

What does the law require?

The Animal Protection Act and the Criminal Code of Canada section 446 address the provincial and federal laws respectively in regard to animals. You can access a condensed version of the Animal Protection Act below. In addition, there are links at the very bottom if you wish to read through all of the material that pertains to the Animal Protection Act which has been posted on the Government Site.

Who address these complaints of animal cruelty/ neglect?

While the SPCA us currently taking calls for all reports in regards to animals in distress we do not have Special Constables appointed to the SPCA at this time. However, the government has begun a program of training for those who are interested in being an Inspector/Special Constable. At this time we are relying upon the RCMP, other animal organizations, town and city animal control sectors, and our volunteers to investigate calls of distress but hope this will soon change as more individuals become trained and available to help our cause. We still respond to concerns and complaints expressed to us as quickly as possible.

We cover problems of animal cruelty and neglect over the entire Avalon Peninsula. 

Please check out the simplified version of the Animal Protection Act.  We have also provided links to the officials sites that contain the full documentation in regards to the welfare of all animals in our province:

Animal Protection