Animal Neglect or Cruelty

We get a lot of calls and emails from people with requests to investigate and/or prosecute people involved in . Because of our name, the “Mobile Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals”, it’s a common but incorrect assumption that we have the legal authority afforded law enforcement or Animal Control Officers at municipal shelters. But we are a rescue group, just like to many others in our area, and our mission is to provide compassionate care, shelter, food, and medical attention to the animals entrusted to us while promoting adoptions, spay and neuter initiatives, responsible pet ownership and community education.

A little history of the how the Mobile SPCA came into being will help you better understand our name.

The Mobile Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was founded in 1885 at Temperance Hall in the Port of Mobile with 13 of Mobile’s most prominent men as charter members. The fledgling Mobile SPCA was very active in establishing the first animal welfare laws, protecting the public from rabies and dealing with the first issues of animal control. In the 1950’s, Laura Jackson was elected the first female president of the Mobile SPCA and was instrumental in getting the first animal shelter built in South Alabama. In 1976, the organization found itself with officers and members with an average age of 80 years old and needed younger members to run the organization and it was in that year that the Mobile SPCA merged with the Animal Protection Society, becoming the entity we are today.

Although we have had a Cruelty Investigator in the past, now all investigations are handled by local law enforcement or Animal Control Officers who work for our municipal shelters, and such investigations are initiated by people like you who see neglect and abuse and want to help.

So remember: when you see what you consider to be animal neglect or abuse, although we would certainly like to help, we do not have the legal authority to enter private property or assist with such cases, unless we are asked to assist by law enforcement.

Thanks to all of you who look out for innocent animals who don’t have voices to speak for themselves.