The U.S. spends approximately $13.59 billion on veterinary care every year, but there are still those pet owners who neglect and abuse their animals. Fortunately, Animal Control officers like Rachel Hyatt are on the job.
Sometimes, she may have to write a note to a pet owner because a neighbor noticed the pet didn’t have food or was left out in the sun for too long. However, other times, she needs to physically seize an animal with a repeated history of biting or attacking.
“That can be a dangerous situation,” said the part-time animal control officer for Rochester Animal Services. “Most of the time people know it’s coming, but we usually bring police with us for backup just in case, because we don’t know what’s going to happen.”
The situation could go any sort of way.
Unfortunately, there are many forms of animal abuse, and neglect is only one of them.
Some animals are beaten and forced to fight, while others are simply abandoned by their owners. Hoarding animals is another form of neglect and abuse, as many animals don’t get the care that they need in those situations.
Other signs of neglect may include flea or tick infestations that haven’t been treated, wounds or sores that aren’t healing, and patches of missing hair.
The signs are sometimes hard to spot from a distance, but all you need to do is pay attention and you may notice more than you want to.
Even animals left outside for too long without adequate shelter is a form of abuse. Dogs and cats alike can suffer from frostbite, sunburn, and heat stroke.
Neglect isn’t always intentional, but it’s important not just for animal control officers like Hyatt, but for regular citizens and neighbors to keep an eye out for the signs.
However, Hyatt claims that the job isn’t so bad. She said her favorite part of the job is rescuing “some scraggly looking thing” and seeing it go through the process of rehabilitation.
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