Animal Cruelty

Animal Cruelty generally falls into one of two categories: neglect or intentional cruelty.

Neglect is the failure to provide adequate water, food, shelter, or necessary care. Examples of neglect include: starvation; dehydration; inadequate shelter; parasite infestations; failure to seek veterinary care when an animal is in need of medical attention; allowing a collar to grow into an animal’s skin; confined without adequate light, ventilation, space or in unsanitary conditions; and failure to trim hoofs or nails resulting in excessive growth (i.e. hoofs curling upwards). In some cases, neglect is a result of the owner’s ignorance and can be rectified by Animal Protection Officers/Police educating the owner and issuing orders to improve the animals living conditions.

The PAWS Act (Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act) gives the following definition: ‘Distress’ means the state of being in need of proper care, water, food or shelter or being injured, sick or in pain or suffering or being abused or subject to undue or unnecessary hardship, privation or neglect.

Animal cruelty investigations are governed by provincial legislation called the PAWS Act. Inspectors appointed under the Act have the authority to enforce laws pertaining to the welfare of or the prevention of cruelty to animals.

Under certain conditions, Inspectors may enter private property to relieve animals from their distress. As well, they are authorized to serve the animals’ owner/custodian with orders which outline remedial action to relieve the distress.

Effective January 1, 2020, the Ontario government's Animal Welfare Services team handles animal protection services in the province of Ontario. For more information on Animal Welfare Services in Ontario, please visit the government's website.

To report cases of animal cruelty, abandonment or neglect, please call the Province of Ontario's 24/7 Hotline at 1-833-9ANIMAL (1-833-926-4625). In an emergency, you can also contact your local police.

If you report an animal that is in distress, being abused or neglected:

The Ontario Animal Protection Call Centre will file an incident ticket and connect you with the appropriate local contact.
Based on the location and nature of the incident, the call centre may flag the ticket for further investigation with the appropriate authorities, such as a provincial inspector or the local police.
After the appropriate authority reviews the incident ticket, they may investigate on-site or involve other authorities as needed. Authorities may contact you directly if they need more information.

Call 911 in an emergency when any life is in immediate danger, such as when there is:

• an animal attack resulting in serious injury to people or other
• animals that requires emergency medical attention
• a dog or cock fighting ring underway
• an act of animal cruelty underway, such as beating or torturing of an animal
• an animal left unattended in a hot or cold vehicle