A Quick Way to Report Issues

Why Your Input Matters

We’ve established this Forms Section as a centralized place to collect detailed information, personal experiences, and supporting documentation related to unresolved animal welfare concerns. These may include failures in animal control response, incidents of cruelty or neglect, and issues involving specific shelters, rescues, municipalities, or enforcement agencies across New Jersey.

🐾 Why is this important?

Because animals cannot speak for themselves.
They rely on us—the people who see, experience, and care enough to act—to speak up when something is wrong. Whether it's a dog left in inhumane conditions, a kitten denied emergency care, or a shelter failing to meet legal obligations, it often takes public action to expose and correct the harm being done behind closed doors.

💼 What We’re Doing

We are not just collecting individual complaints—we are building a statewide picture of how, where, and why animal welfare systems are failing. We:

Assist individual animals and families in urgent need across every region of New Jersey
Advocate for stronger laws, increased enforcement, and greater accountability at the local and state levels
Identify patterns of neglect, misconduct, or noncompliance by tracking recurring concerns
Engage with legislators, regulators, and enforcement agencies to press for systemic reforms
Promote transparency, oversight, and humane standards in all animal welfare practices

🏥 The Reality on the Ground

We recognize that many animal control officers, municipal shelters, and rescue volunteers are doing their very best—often with limited funding, staff shortages, and increasing demands.
However, that does not excuse the failures of those who abuse their roles, neglect animals, or hide behind bureaucracy to avoid doing what is right and required by law.

Unfortunately, we continue to see cases where:

Animals are turned away from municipal shelters in violation of state law
Cruelty reports are dismissed or ignored by local authorities
Rescue organizations operate without transparency or proper oversight
Public complaints are silenced or discouraged

📣 Why Your Voice Matters

Speaking up is the first step toward change.
Your submission may help:

Reveal a pattern of misconduct or negligence
Provide crucial documentation to strengthen a legal or regulatory complaint
Prompt action from authorities or spark a broader investigation
Inform advocacy efforts to amend or enforce state policy

Every form filled out is not just a report—it’s a message that someone is watching, someone cares, and someone is willing to act. It may be the spark that leads to real, lasting change.

🐶 Be a Voice for the Voiceless

We can’t fix what we don’t know about. If you’ve witnessed something wrong—please tell us.
Your experience could help protect the next animal in line and help ensure that New Jersey becomes a state where compassion, responsibility, and enforcement truly work hand in hand.

Thank you for standing up for those who can’t.

To A Quick Way to Report Animal Welfare Issues Form

Organizations we have worked with:

ACOs
ALDF
Animal Advocates
ASPCA
Concerned Residents
FAUN
HELO's (County and Municipal)
HSUS
Humane World
Law Enforcement Officers
Lawyers In Defense of Animals
Lesniack Institute
Local Health Departments
Local Organizations and Advocates (Countless)
Prosecutor's Offices

You Can Send More Detailed Information and Pictures to CompanionAANj@outlook.com

🐾 Reporting Animal Cruelty in New Jersey: What You Need to Know

All animals in New Jersey—whether domestic pets, wildlife, or farmed animals—are protected under state law. Yet despite the strength of these laws, enforcement often depends on you, the observer, to take action when cruelty or neglect occurs. This guide will walk you through the correct process for reporting animal cruelty in New Jersey and explain what to do if you're met with resistance.

📜 Know the Law: Animal Cruelty Is a Crime

Animal cruelty is not just immoral—it’s illegal. New Jersey's animal cruelty statutes protect all animals, regardless of species or setting. To familiarize yourself with these laws, consult Title 4 of the New Jersey Statutes Annotated (N.J.S.A. 4:22-17 et seq.).

Just like young children, animals can’t seek help for themselves. YOU need to be their voice.

🚨 How to Report Animal Cruelty

If you witness or suspect violence, neglect, or abuse involving animals, take the following steps:

1. Call the Local Police Department

Ask specifically to speak with the Humane Law Enforcement Officer. Under New Jersey law (as of 2017–2018 reforms), every police department is required to have an HLEO—or defer to the New Jersey State Police if no local department exists.

2. Do Not Accept Misinformation

Many residents report being told by police dispatchers that the department does not handle animal cruelty, or that animal control should be called instead.

This is false. The police department must respond to animal cruelty complaints. This is not optional—it is state law.

If you are told otherwise:
- Ask to speak directly with the Chief of Police.
- Politely explain that every department is legally required to designate an HLEO.
- Demand that the matter be investigated properly.

⬆️ Escalating the Issue: When Local Police Fail

If the police department or Chief of Police fails to act, escalate your report to the next level:

3. Contact the County Prosecutor’s Office

Let them know you reported an animal cruelty incident to local law enforcement but received no appropriate response. Each County Prosecutor’s Office must have:
- A Chief Humane Law Enforcement Officer
- An Assistant County Prosecutor (AP) designated to animal cruelty enforcement

These officials are responsible for ensuring municipal HLEOs enforce cruelty laws effectively.

🧑‍⚖️ Still No Response? Notify the Attorney General

If neither the police department nor the County Prosecutor acts, it’s time to go to the top.

4. Report Non-Compliance to the NJ Attorney General

Contact the Office of Constituent Services within the Office of the Attorney General and explain:
- What you witnessed
- Who you contacted (police, chief, prosecutor)
- How your complaint was dismissed or ignored

📞 Attorney General Constituent Services:
609-984-5828

🙏 Thank You for Being Their Voice

Most people turn a blind eye. You didn’t. And that matters.

Every time you report suspected cruelty, you help make the system work the way it’s supposed to—for them. For the voiceless.

Together, we can demand accountability and make sure New Jersey's animal cruelty laws are enforced, not ignored.

TO LET US KNOW - A QUICK FORM