Kendra Coulter is a professor in management and organizational studies at Western University’s Huron University College, a fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics and a member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.
Many of us feel a powerful urge to help when an animal is being hurt. When we see someone treating an animal roughly in an apartment lobby or park, when we hear the upsetting sounds of an animal in distress over a fence or through a door, or when we witness a dog or horse who is extremely timid or thin, we often feel the pull to act.
But figuring out who to call is often a confusing maze that is difficult to navigate and time-consuming for those who persist. Undoubtedly, some people simply give up, leaving animals to continue to slowly suffer in pain or remain in immediate danger.
Canada’s Criminal Code outlaws many kinds of animal cruelty, and most provinces also have legislation prohibiting violent abuse and neglect. Yet the front-line enforcement of animal protection laws is the responsibility of dozens of different agencies – police, publicly funded animal specialists or, most often, underfunded and overstretched animal-welfare non-profits. Plus, which organization to call can vary depending on the place, day of the week, type of animal and even the time of day. This enforcement patchwork is why concerned citizens are forced to navigate a reporting labyrinth when they want to get professional help for vulnerable animals.
The way in which suspected animal abuse is reported by members of the public should be simplified and streamlined. To that end, we need a national animal cruelty hotline to replace the reporting labyrinth.
More than half of Canadian households now include at least one animal family member, and every community across the country includes other species. Animals are sentient beings that want to feel joy and love, and avoid fear and pain. People expect animals to be protected from illegal abuse and neglect, and situations of concern to be properly – and promptly – investigated to determine the appropriate next steps.
Animal abuse also rarely happens in isolation. Decades of evidence have identified what is called the human-animal violence link, which suggests that serial killers and mass murderers sometimes abuse animals before hurting people. In these cases, intervening early could have prevented future violence.
Yet the human-animal violence link is multidimensional: Animals and people can be abused simultaneously. The love that children, domestic partners, seniors and especially women feel for their animals is also used by abusers as another tactic of intimidation, power and coercive control within relationships, or after they have ended. The latest data from the University of Windsor found that 89 per cent of women in Canadian domestic violence shelters who were surveyed said the abuser threatened or actually harmed their animal. Cruelty to animals can be both a red flag and a window that exposes a larger web of abuse. People’s safety is another reason to take animals’ well-being seriously and to investigate suspected cruelty promptly.
A national mental-health hotline, run by Wellness Together Canada, connects people with many different responsive or proactive supports. It is jointly funded by government, labour unions, non-profits, universities and businesses. A national animal cruelty hotline could be similarly funded.
In the Netherlands, a three-digit number connects people with the national animal emergency line and many public and non-profit services can be dispatched, including an animal ambulance. In contrast, our federal government does not invest in front-line animal cruelty investigations. Creating, funding and staffing a national 24/7 hotline would be a small federal investment but a significant way to demonstrate Canada’s commitment to combatting animal cruelty and confronting the human-animal violence link.
It would also create good, humane jobs. Emergency services cannot function without dispatchers, a largely invisible but essential and life-saving work force. In the landscape of animal protection, dispatchers are the crucial ignition that lights the engine of an investigation by asking probing questions and deploying the appropriate initial responders.
In places where non-profit animal welfare agencies already have experienced and skilled dispatchers, as is the case with the Calgary Humane Society, a national hotline should complement their work and simplify the process for members of the public regardless of where they live. Highly trained national dispatchers would be able to efficiently navigate the animal protection labyrinth and connect people with the correct responders, removing that onus from busy citizens who simply want to help animals receive the protections we have established in law.
One country, one obvious, logical and practical strategy to help protect animals and people: a national hotline.