Fielding over 400 reports of animal cruelty and neglect during the past 5 years, the
Addison County Humane Society (ACHS) understands the importance of effective humane
law enforcement. Recently ACHS, along with the help of the Vermont Anti-Cruelty
Task Force, hosted law enforcement training sessions and launched the Addison County
Anti-Cruelty Coalition, which will serve as a model for the state of Vermont, by
acting as the central clearing house for reporting cruelty and neglect in Addison
County. The Coalition has brought together law enforcement agencies, animal
control officers, humane society officers, veterinarians, rescue organizations
and government officials to develop a coordinated action plan. The objective
of the plan is to strengthen the effectiveness of humane enforcement and to
facilitate aggressive prosecution of offenders throughout the county.
The public is advised to call the Addison County Humane Society at 388-1100 to
report observed acts of cruelty or to report a situation where it is suspected
that an animal is being neglected. Depending on the issue, the Humane Society
staff will notify the appropriate individual to investigate. For example, if
an animal is in immediate danger, the Humane Society will call a law enforcement
officer who will investigate and manage the situation. Non-emergent issues will
be referred to a Humane Investigator, usually the animal control officer in a
town, or another individual as designated by the town. Management of a situation
can include education, support to correct the problem, issuance of a citation,
or notification of a law enforcement officer. Reported cases are entered into
the ACHS Humane Investigation online database that can be accessed by law
enforcement officers and humane investigators to identify past infractions
and to document current findings and activity. In addition the ACHS will
report back to the caller with the outcome of the investigation. If an
animal is in immediate danger, please call the State Police at 388-4919.
Animal cruelty and neglect are against the law. Observed acts of animal cruelty
or awareness of animal neglect should be reported. The Addison County Humane
Society and the Anti-Cruelty Coalition requests that the public continue to
report cruelty and neglect and rest assured that the Addison County Humane
Society, as a clearing house of these reports, will ensure that the most
appropriate individual investigate and resolve the situation. Your
assistance in helping to better protect the animals in our community by
reporting cruelty and neglect will be most appreciated.
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