Humane Society Police Officer’s (HSPOs) are Police Officers vested with full police powers.
Submitting a Cruelty / Neglect Report
You can submit a complaint by EMAIL info@paanimalprotectivesocietyspca.com.You will be asked for your personal contact information and must provide it. Reporting party information is not disclosed to subjects of complaints. Please be sure to describe what you saw that prompted your complaint in as much detail as possible. You will likely be contacted by an officer for follow up information
To ensure that we allocate our time and resources towards addressing genuine cases of animal cruelty, we kindly request that you report only incidents involving real and substantiated complaints. These may include instances where animals are deprived of food or water, have fallen victim to sadistic abuse, or have been abandoned.
Please note that false or fake calls, as well as those made out of revenge or for other nefarious purposes, divert our attention and resources from genuine cases. We regret to inform you that we are unable to respond to reports of barking dogs. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in helping us serve animals in need.
Complaint Disclaimer
Before filing a complaint, please review the disclaimer below:
*** Filing a complaint which you know or should have known is false (for example to bother your ex-husband/wife, neighbor, former friend, etc) is a violation of the Pennsylvania Law and subjects you to arrest and a year in the county jail (longer if while responding to your false complaint one of our law enforcement officers is injured). We aggressively investigate false reports of animal cruelty as it is a waste of our limited resources that we can not and will not tolerate. Reports made in good faith and not meant to be malicious are welcome and encouraged. When in doubt call but if you are in a divorce and you are thinking about calling on your estranged spouse you should think twice to ensure you are not the person placed in handcuffs *** We want to hear from you. Those who can’t speak for themselves need you to help…. please. Make sure of your facts and call us…. we will use every effort to preserve your anonymity…. If your complaint relates to a vicious animal or an animal causing a disturbance in your neighborhood, then that complaint should be filed with your local police department and/or animal control officer.
What complaints should be filed?
- It involves the mistreatment of an animal
- It involves inadequate food and/or water ( especially in the heat ) for an animal
- It involves the lack of proper shelter from rain, snow, or extreme heat
- It involves the physical abuse to the animal
- It involves the abandonment of the animal
- It involves any other evidence of animal neglect and/or an animal left in dangerous conditions including, severe weather conditions hot or cold,
- or being left in a car in the heat
- It involves animal fighting
What complaints should NOT be filed?
- A barking dog in your neighborhood that is annoying or a nuisance
- A vicious animal in your neighborhood
- A person has been bitten
A summary of Pennsylvania's animal cruelty laws
Under Pennsylvania law, cruelty to animals includes:
Neglect of animal, including failure to provide:
- Food and water
- Clean and sanitary shelter and protection from weather
- Necessary veterinary care
Cruelty to animal: A person commits an offense if the person intentionally, knowingly or recklessly illtreats, overloads, beats, tortures, abandons or abuses an animal.
Tethering of unattended dog. An unattended dog may only be tethered for nine hours or less in a 24-hour period, and must meet the following criteria:
- The tether must be of a type commonly used for the size and breed of dog and is at least three times the length of the dog as measured from the tip of its nose to the base of its tail or 10 feet, whichever is longer.
- The tether must be secured to a well-fitted collar or harness by means of a swivel anchor, swivel latch or other mechanism designed to prevent the dog from becoming entangled.
- The tethered dog must have access to water and an area of shade to escape the direct rays of the sun.
- The dog may not be tethered for longer than 30 minutes in temperatures above 90 or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
Transporting animals in cruel manner.
Animal mutilation and related offenses, including:
- Cropping of ear.
- Debarking
- Docking of tail
- Surgical birth
- Dewclawing of a dog
Animal fighting.
- Causing or allowing an animal to engage in animal fighting
- Receiving compensation for the admission of another person to a place kept or used for animal fighting
- Owning, training, promoting, purchasing or acquiring in any manner or knowingly selling an animal for animal fighting
- Wagering on the outcome of an animal fight
- Attending an animal fight
- Knowingly permiting a place under the person's control or possession to be kept or used for animal fighting
Possession of animal fighting paraphernalia.
Taunting or abusing Police animals.
