Law enforcement investigating reports of animal cruelty - KNOE 8 News; KNOE-TV; KNOE.com |

MONROE, La. (KNOE 8 News) - Monroe Police and Crime Stoppers are looking into reports of an abused animal. A picture, taken from Facebook, shows a dog after the cropping of his ears.

Ouachita Animal Control Officer Scott Riggin says the procedure can be outside the vet's office but there are some conditions.

"There may be certain circumstances, where you may be a breeder fro 20 or 30 years or somebody in the family really knows that much about animals and is able to care for them and get the medicine they need," Riggin said.

Riggin also believes a person specialized in animal surgeries should be the one putting your pet under the knife.

"Just because a dog doesn't flinch or doesn't yell whenever it's snipped; just maybe a tough dog, some animals don't show pain, some animals do," Riggin said.
   
These photos sent to us by the Madison Parish Journal show dozens of animals chained and in dry conditions and one dog appears to need medical assistance. This is being investigated by the sheriff's office. But Riggin says not all cases reported are considered abuse. He provides the definition.

"Any animal that's being neglected by a lack of food or lack of water, lack of shelter, or lack of veterinary care," Riggin said.

The control officer says many dogs can survive outside as long as the owner follows some guidelines.

"As long as they're confined to the property and they can move around freely or they're on a short chain and they can't get untangled," the animal control officer said.

The officer says some owners can get away with providing the bare minimum care for Fido, but if they're not breaking the law, it's not abuse.

The control officer believes lawmakers should work more to precisely define animal cruelty cases. Also, if a person is convicted on an animal cruelty charge, they can face jail time and fines.