Guest Author - Denise Lacazette

Allow me to caveat this article by saying if an animal is abused, I sincerely hope someone will speak up and protect the animal. Unfortunately many well-intentioned individuals – as well as some not well-intentioned – make assumptions regarding an animal’s welfare without knowing animal behavior facts. Indeed, some “protection” agencies have confiscated animals and been found to have acted inappropriately. In other cases they have seized and planned to disperse animals to other facilities and homes even though the animals were not abused or neglected nor were the owners charged with any crime. Frankly I fear how fascist these organizations and individuals have been allowed to become, but rather than delve into the politics of the situation I would like to focus on some of the mistaken assumptions made. I cannot possibly cover all possibilities and animals, but there are examples I can offer that I hope will cause you to pause and think. Not everything is at it seems. If you are genuinely concerned about a particular animal, do your homework. Do not assume that animal control officers or other legal entities are knowledgeable about all types of animals. Understand that if the animals are confiscated despite the situation not warranting it, the animal will suffer from being removed from their environment, their diet and routines will likely be changed, and their caretaker who they probably have a bond with will not be available to them. On the human side, the loss of their companion will weigh heavily as will the legal bills and energy needed to fight. Be very sure you should interfere before you do.

Birds are easy to make examples of. Their environment is pretty easy to view. If you walk into a pet store and their water bowl is empty or extremely dirty would you think they were abused? Many birds love to take baths in their water bowls – often splashing most, if not all, of the water out. Others like to wet their food in the bowl before eating. I even have a Macaw that gives his toys “a bath” everyday. Each of these behaviors contributes to a dirty, mostly empty water bowl. No one can possible run around every minute of the day freshening the water bowl. I might worry about a bone dry bowl, but I have been to feed stores where the water bowls are changed every 2 hours and dry bowl still occurs.

What about their physical appearance? Have you ever seen a parrot that looks like a plucked chicken with skin visible on their breast or head? How about all of their feathers broken and shredded so that most of the downy is visible? Nesting hens often pluck a portion of their chests during nesting season – it is a natural behavior. Others can pluck themselves all over or “favored spots” for emotional reasons – loss of a mate or a human companion that is away frequently. Others will even mimic another bird that plucks - despite having no mental or physical reason themselves. Mating Muscovy ducks are quite violent and will tear feathers out of the female’s heads during copulation leaving a bloody featherless area. Illness can also play a role in feather loss and picking. In some cases even when the problem – whether physical or mental – is corrected the follicles are so damaged the feathers can never regrow.

Assumptions are often made about dogs and their behavior. An overly submissive dog that runs around with his tail between its legs and urinating when its name is said has concerned more than one bystander. Some pups born are naturally submissive. The urinating behavior can be trained out of them, but they will still exhibit some behaviors that can be mistaken for abused submission.

As I stated before, I do not want readers to ignore abuse, but I do want you to be certain before making an accusation. Ignorance is no excuse for interference and will often cause more harm than good. It is easy to mistake a dry water bowl, de-feathered bird, or 'fraidy dog as abused, but things are not always what they seem. Most animal owners with chronic problems are more than willing to explain why their animal appears or acts a certain way if someone is genuinely concerned. Always keep in mind that someday you could be the person who owns an animal that may be mistaken for abused.