Data Bites - April 2025: Animal Cruelty Complaints

Animal cruelty complaints rose in 2023. A review of public disclosure documents show that the Seattle Animal Shelter received 122 more animal cruelty/neglect complaints than in 2022. This is a 15 percent increase over the period of one year.

Complaints about animals in hot cars continued to decrease while the following complaints were at their highest levels since 2018:

• Abuse

• Abandonment

• Inadequate food/water/shelter

• Unsanitary Conditions

• Tethering

“Animal in Hot Cars’ Complaints Stayed Low

The number of complaints regarding animals in hot cars remained low even three years after the pandemic. From 2018 to 2023, the complaints decreased by approximately two thirds from a high of 303 in 2018 to 116 in 2023. While “animals in hot cars” still received the highest number of total cumulative complaints from 2018 to 2023, it is likely that the total will continue to slip in the coming years if the trend continues.

Top Five Animal Cruelty/Neglect Complaints

The top 5 animal cruelty/neglect complaints in 2023 were in categories recording their largest numbers since the base year of 2018. 

• Abuse

• Abandonment

• Inadequate food/water/shelter

• Unsanitary Conditions

• Tethering

The highest percentage increase from 2018 to 2023 were complaints about tethering, unsanitary conditions, and abandonment. 

The highest percentage increase from 2022 to 2023 was tethering.

Animal Cruelty and the Seattle Municipal Code

Section 9.25.081 of the SMC outlines offenses relating to cruelty. Acts relating to cruelty are broad but sparingly described. There are eleven offenses outlined. The City last updated this section in 2012, over ten years ago.

SMC 9.25.081 - Offenses relating to cruelty

It is unlawful for any person to:

A. Injure, kill, or physically mistreat any animal under circumstances not amounting to first degree animal cruelty as defined in RCW 16.52.205, except as is expressly permitted by law;

B. Lay out to expose or leave exposed any kind of poison or poisoned food or drink where it is accessible to an animal, or place such poisoned materials in a stream or other body of water, endangering fish or shellfish; provided, that nothing shall prevent the reasonable use of rodent poison, insecticides, fungicides or slug bait for their intended purposes; and provided, further, that nothing in this subsection shall prohibit any governmental agency acting in the course of its governmental duties;

C. Set or bait any trap, except for rats or mice, unless a permit to do so has been issued as provided for in Section 9.25.030;

D. Confine, without adequate ventilation, any animal in any box, container or vehicle;

E. Tease, tantalize or provoke any animal with the intent to cause destructive behavior, fear or hostility;

F. Tether or confine any animal in such a manner or in such a place as to cause injury or pain not amounting to first degree animal cruelty defined in RCW 16.52.205, or to endanger an animal; or to keep an animal in quarters that are injurious to the animal due to inadequate protection from heat or cold, or that are of insufficient size to permit the animal to move about freely;

G. Keep an animal in an unsanitary condition or fail to provide sufficient food, water, shelter, or ventilation necessary for the good health of that animal;

H. Fail to provide his/her animal the medical care that is necessary for its health or to alleviate its pain;

I. Permit any animal to fight or injure any other animal, or permit any animal to be fought or injured by any other animal; or to train or keep for the purpose of training any animal for the exhibition of such animal in combat with any other animal, whether for amusement of him/herself or others, or for financial gain; or permit such conduct on premises under his/her control, or to be present as a spectator at such exhibition;

J. Possess cock spurs, slashers, gaffs, or other tools, equipment, devices or training facilities for the purpose of training and/or engaging an animal in combat with another animal;

K. Abandon any animal. 

Note: SMC 9.25.020 defines “abandon" as meaning the act of leaving an animal:

1. Without food, water, or care for 24 hours or more; or

2. In a situation where the conditions present an immediate, direct, and serious threat to the life, safety, or health of the animal.

The City of Seattle last revised this section in 2010.