As the temperatures have soared in the Valley, so have the number of calls to the Arizona Humane Society. The organization responded to 18 percent more cases of animal neglect and injured animals than the same time last year.
There were a total of 694 cases between June 12 and June 30, said Bretta Nelson, a spokesperson for the Arizona Humane Society.
“And probably the biggest thing to play a role in that is last July, Phoenix passed the anti-tethering ordinance, so now we’re seeing a huge uptick in calls for people seeing pets tethered outside,” she said.
The ordinance makes it a crime to tether an animal in temperatures above 100 degrees, with a leash of less than 10 feet or with a collar that’s too tight. Nelson said the measure has been an important tool for her organization as they deal with potentially neglectful pet owners.
“Now people will be cited, and then they can be fined, and as the citations continue, they might have mandatory jail time,” Nelson said. “So yeah, I think people are taking these much more seriously, and probably calling more of them in, as well.”
Nelson says TV has also helped raise awareness. Her organization’s animal-cruelty investigators and medics were recently featured on a reality TV show, Animal Cops Phoenix. It aired on the cable channel Animal Planet.
The Animal Humane Society’s emergency animal medical technicians respond to calls of animals in distress or sick and injured strays 365 days a year. They can be reached at 602-997-7585, ext. 2073 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
