A kitten up for adoption at the Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society Monday.
Photo by Vince Davis I The Daily Mississippian
On Sept. 30, Mr. Puggles — a name given to him by his rescuer — was brought into the Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society. Even with big, round, happy eyes and a cute, turned-up, button nose, he had been abandoned by his owners. For four days he had been left alone in an abandoned apartment with no food or water. He was lucky the neighbors next door even found him. His rescuer said she had been trying for two years to have him taken away, but at the time, not much could be done.
Mr. Puggles’ case is similar to that of many animals across America today, but he’s one of the lucky ones — his case was actually reported.
Although laws have been passed in 47 states that make animal cruelty a felony, four states are second offense states. In states such as Mississippi, a person accused of animal abuse cannot be charged until a complaint has been proven twice.
In Oxford and Lafayette County, however, the Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society is striving toward making this area a safe place for animals.
The Humane Society has two specific ways of preventing animal cruelty: through a strict adoption process and an animal control officer located in the building.
The adoption process is lengthy. First, an application must be filled out. Then the organization goes through a series of checks before allowing an adoption to take place.
According to adoption counselor Hillary Chesteen, the purpose of this step is to ensure the animal is going to a good home and will not be returned to the shelter under any circumstances, such as neglect.
The application itself also requires information on how a person plans to care for the animal. City law states that a dog kept outside must have food, water and shelter.
“You’d be surprised how many people just write ‘going to tie up outside’ as an answer,” Chesteen said. “We don’t want it to go to a home like that, so you can see how that’s a good way to check (before the adoption process begins).”
Animal control also plays a role in animal cruelty prevention. Animal control officers can be called out when anyone suspects animal cruelty. In Oxford, this job belongs to Officer Alice Hale.
When Hale receives a complaint of animal abuse, she must go through a strict process before seizing an animal.
“I go to the location and talk to the person who filed the complaint. I ask how they came to know about this, if they witness it and what exactly they feel like is going on,” Hale said. “After that I contact the owners.”
Hale said if the owners are present, she has a conversation with them to explain what’s going on and discuss ways to fix the problem. If the owners are not home, Hale leaves a note on the door to let them know she stopped by and that she will be back to check up on the animal.
Hale has discovered, though, that most complaints turn out to be false.
“I’ll get calls about animals being tied up all day outside with no water, and then when I get there, that’s not the case,” Hale said. “A lot of the complaints I get are surprisingly from roommates having an argument, and one wants to get the other in trouble.”
If the case turns out to be true, and charges need to be pressed, a lengthy process begins, starting with an investigation by Hale.
This involves pictures, witnesses and sometimes help from the Oxford Police Department.
“You really have to cross your t’s and dot your i’s in these cases,” Hale said. “The DA isn’t going to take it to court if he feels he can’t win.”
The hardest part about compiling a case, according to Hale, is getting witnesses to testify about what they know.
“A lot of people don’t want the person to know they were the ones who reported them. It’s one of the first questions I’m asked after they tell me the complaint. ‘You’re not going to tell them who said this, right?’” Hale said.
Hale said OPD is normally the best thing in these types of situations.
“If the police have to go out on a case for any reason, they’re the best backups you can have because they have to make their own report and take their own pictures,” Hale said. “Plus they can be witnesses for a case.”
Animal cruelty is low in Oxford and in most of the state, even with its animal cruelty laws being not so strict. According to PetAbuser.com, Mississippi has had only three cases of abuse reported this year, and none of them was reported in Oxford or Lafayette County.
“It’s sad to see hurt animals, but it’s also nice to see them come here and find loving homes,” Hale said.
-Mackenzie Hicks
smhicks@go.olemiss.edu
