Animal Welfare Complaint Form

The World Health Organization has stated, “There is no evidence that a dog, cat or any pet can transmit COVID-19. COVID-19 is mainly spread through droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks.”

Cruelty toward animals is illegal under North Carolina law. You can report animals experiencing physical harm under the care of an individual, pet shop, kennel or animal shelter to the North Carolina Attorney General’s Animal Welfare Hotline by filling out the Animal Welfare Complaint form.

Under North Carolina law, acts of animal cruelty include:

Wounding,
Tormenting,
Killing,
Depriving an animal of necessary nourishment,
Or causing any of these things to occur to an animal.

Complaints against Public and Private Animal Shelters, Boarding Kennels, Pet Shops and Public Auctions should be directed to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Animal Welfare Hotline

The Animal Welfare Hotline was created by state law to take complaints about possible mistreatment of animals.

Call us at 1-855-290-6915 toll-free within North Carolina

What Happens with your Complaint

Our office will review your complaint to determine if the allegations involve animal cruelty. If our office determines that it is animal cruelty, then we will refer the complaint to the appropriate authority. The NC Department of Justice does not investigate or prosecute animal cruelty cases but depending on the details of the complaint, your local animal control office, local Sheriff, or the NC Department of Agriculture may have the authority to take action.

Please note that we are not able to process anonymous complaints.

Animal Welfare Complaint Form

A “Save and Continue” link is included next to the submit button at the bottom of this form. Clicking “Save and Continue” will allow you to save your progress, and return at a later date to complete the form.

For immediate response, please contact your local animal control office.

Please note that we are not able to process anonymous complaints.

Reporter Information
Name * Required
Prefix First Last
Mailing Address * Required
Street Address Address Line 2 City State ZIP Code
County
Phone Number * Required
Alternate Phone Number
Email address * Required
Information of Person or Organization the Complaint is Against
Type of Owner
Full Name of Animal Owner/Pet Shop/Kennel/Animal Shelter
Mailing Address (must begin with the house/building number) * Required
Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code
Phone Number
County Where Animal is Located * Required
Type of Animal
Animal Type
Color of Animal(s) * Required
Please select any of the following characteristics which apply
- Aggressive
- Malnourished
- Sick
- Deceased
- Unknown
Complaint Information
Please describe the situation in detail
Date - must be mm/dd/yyyy format
MM slash DD slash YYYY
Important Information
- Documents provided to this office may be public record.
- Please be sure to include copies of any supporting documents you may have, such as photographs.
- This office does not have the authority to give private legal advice or provide private legal representation to individual consumers.
This information I have provided is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge
Consent * Required
This information I have provided is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge.
CAPTCHA

Save and Continue Later

If you want to send the complaint by mail, you can find a copy of the Animal Welfare Complaint Form here.

Mail to:
Animal Welfare Program
Office of the Attorney General
P.O Box 629
Raleigh, NC 27602

How to Contact Local Authorities

You are also welcome to share your animal cruelty concerns directly with your city or county animal control or Sheriff’s Office.

Watch Attorney General Josh Stein’s video about animal cruelty and how to report it.

Local Ordinances

You can view local ordinances at the following link: https://www.ncvaw.org/north-carolina-laws

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