Animal Cruelty and Neglect
A pet owner is responsible for ensuring their pet remains safe. Dogs who run loose can become lost, hit by cars, be stolen, become victims of other dogs or wildlife, be exposed to contagious disease or be subject to unintentional poisoning when digging through someone's trash. It is in your dog's best interest to keep them safe at home.
Reporting neglect and mistreatment of an animal can result in the saving of an animals life.
Feces not being picked up is a code enforcement issue, please contact Mesa County Code Enforcement or City of Grand Junction Code enforcement.
If there is a deceased animal in the road Mesa County Animal Services may pick it up as time permits.
Reporting
Every animal must be provided with water, food, protection from the elements, or other care generally considered to be normal, usual and accepted for an animal's health and well-being consistent with the species, breed and type of animal.
In order to start an investigation, we need the following information:
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A physical address of where the animal can be seen
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The animal(s) description
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What you have seen that causes you concern for the animal's health and welfare
Based on the information you provide, our officers will go out and observe the animal and the situation. The officer will determine whether or not the animal is in immediate danger. Less than 5% of welfare checks result in citations. Ninety-five percent of our calls are handled through education, veterinary care or are determined to be unfounded.
If you do not provide us with contact information, this report will remain anonymous. However, without a way to contact you we will be unable to clarify any questions we might have during our investigation. If you see an animal that you feel might not be receiving care that meets these guidelines, please phone us at (970) 242-4646, or print the Animal Abuse Incident Report below and mail it to us at the address on the top of the report.
Weather and neglect
Humans have the ability and resources to make choices for ourselves that allow us to live in comfort and safety in both hot and cold weather. Responsible pet owners need to make sure they provide the right environment so pets can stay safe and healthy.
Pets should not be left unattended in a vehicle or without shelter during temperature extremes. Temperatures inside a vehicle can be much hotter and much cooler than outside temperatures.
The type and color of car, the breed, age and health of the dog, the conditions in which the dog is confined in the vehicle, the temperature along with the type of cloud cover and wind are all factors that can contribute to an unsafe situation. Conversely, if it is a cloudy, cold, winter day, then your dog may be perfectly safe and happy in the back seat of your car for a couple of minutes. Because weather conditions change quickly, we recommend that you always error on the side of caution and leave your dog at home on even moderately warm days in the spring, summer and fall.
Just as it can be a challenge to stay cool and comfortable in the hot weather, it can be equally as hard for our pets to stay warm and safe in cold weather.