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Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data Applied for
PB: 9781119764885
Cover Design: Wiley
Cover Image: Courtesy of John Valls
List of Contributors
Editors
Linda Fielder, CAWA Animal Legal Defense Fund Cotati, CA USA
Emily Lewis, JD, MSEL Animal Legal Defense Fund Cotati, CA USA
Dr. Kris Otteman, DVM, Diplomate ABVP Shelter Medicine Practice, CAWA Courtesy Faculty Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University USA
Contributors
Dr. Zarah Hedge, DVM, MHP, DACVPM, DABVP Shelter Medicine Practice San Diego, CA USA
Jake Kamins, JD State of Oregon Animal Cruelty Deputy District Attorney Corvallis, OR USA
David B. Rosengard, JD, LLM Managing Attorney, Animal Legal Defense Fund Adjunct Professor of Animal Law, Lewis & Clark Law School Cotati, CA USA
Preface
The authors have worked together to promote the investigation and prosecution of crimes against animals for over a decade. We have put our best efforts forward in hoarding cases that made the national news and cases of anonymous animal victims with no known owner, witnesses, or suspect. Despite our fierce dedication to the cause, there were moments, months, even years, that led to frustration, tested our fortitude, and pushed the boundaries of our tolerance for impediments. It is in those moments that we garnered the information and experience that we share with you in this book. We have faced many challenges in working on these cases and realized over time that our most successful responses were born out of a collaboration of disciplines and expertise. Not one of us could have approached our work in this field alone and we do not expect that from our readers.
Use the information in this book to empower you and your agency to respond to animal cruelty with confidence and integrity. Animal cruelty casework is difficult, particularly if you do not have the resources, support, and expertise you need. Let this book help identify those gaps in your jurisdiction and guide a solution regardless of the magnitude of the perceived roadblocks.
Confronting and addressing animal cruelty is important. If for no other reason than it is against the law in every state. That aside, animal abuse is a violent crime and to think the cycle of violence begins or ends with animals would be naive. The safety of your community is directly related to how seriously you take animal cruelty allegations. In our years of work on these cases, the frequency with which mental illness correlated to maltreatment of animals became glaringly evident. More often than not, the owner of a neglected animal needed community resources as much as the victim animal. Failing to adequately respond to neglected animals in your jurisdiction simultaneously ignores individuals who are struggling with mental health issues. Finally, animals are sentient beings, made vulnerable by their inability to put words to their experiences. They rely on veterinarians, field officers, and prosecutors to speak on their behalf with equal advocacy as any victim would receive.
After years in the field, each of us can recall a case that we wish had turned out differently for the animal or humans involved. For any one of you who can name that animal cruelty case, the one that keeps you up at night, the one you wish had turned out differently, the one you learned from, the one that simply did not seem fair, this book was born out of that indignation and the drive to facilitate justice in honor of those victims who never found it and future victims who deserve it.
Acknowledgments
General Acknowledgments
Writing this book was an exercise in perseverance and teamwork. Having worked together closely for many years, we consider ourselves masters of teamwork. As for perseverance, we’ve learned that a bend in the road is not the end of the road, and we are grateful to be continuing this journey together. We relied on each other throughout this process, but our thanks goes out to the people who kept us organized, contributed their expertise, and offered genuine feedback. Thank you to contributing authors Dr. Zarah Hedge, Jake Kamins, Esq., and David Rosengard, Esq. Each of you brings a deep well of experience and insight to this text. Thank you to Anika Moje for reviewing our work with a keen eye for detail, keeping us on task, and providing support and constant encouragement. Thank you to Kathleen Wood, Esq., for repeatedly lending your vast expertise on state law nuances and Conor Lamkin for your extensive legal research assistance. Our appreciation goes out to Scott Heiser, Esq. and Michelle Welch, Esq., for their contributions to the Specific Case Protocols. Thank you to Nichole Waldner for editing and formatting our manuscript, Jacqui Monahan for designing our graphics and templates, and to Merryl Le Roux, Erica Judisch, and Wiley Publishing for guiding us through the submission and publishing process. Thank you to the Oregon Humane Society for the use of case materials and photographs throughout this text.
Linda Fielder’s Acknowledgments
This book was created not only by the authors and contributors, but by every individual who worked alongside us responding to animal cruelty cases. The members of the Humane Investigations and Medical teams at the Oregon Humane Society were a committed, talented, compassionate group I considered family. We sweated inside Tyvek suits and maneuvered through crime scenes stacked with garbage, mired in mud, and filled with treacherous hazards both living and inanimate. We worked together through long days and beyond exhaustion. Never satisfied with doing just enough, my colleagues helped support the mindset of constant learning and always finding ways to do better, always for the animals.
In the field of animal cruelty investigations, having a support network outside the organization or agency is critical to one’s mental health and stamina. I am fortunate to have a chosen family of friends who made sure to check in when the work became heavy, both in the field and during the challenges of writing this manuscript. Finally, I owe a debt of gratitude to the experts who have contributed to the field of veterinary forensic medicine and whose texts I carried with me to the exam room, kept on the bedside table, and recommended to anyone who wanted to learn more about the science behind animal cruelty investigations. This book is intended to support those excellent works that came before it.
Emily Lewis’ Acknowledgments
Many years ago, the Criminal Justice Program at the Animal Legal Defense Fund graciously allowed me to volunteer as a recent college graduate, adrift in the world with a degree but no specific direction, save my compassion for animals. That position opened my eyes both to the horrific crimes perpetrated against animals and the network of remarkable professionals committed to seeking justice on their behalf. I had found my path.
In the years that followed, lawyers, professors, veterinarians, and animal welfare professionals whom I held in the highest esteem became mentors and eventually colleagues. I will never be able to adequately convey the level of gratitude I have for the individuals who created opportunities and then mentored me on the path
