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Please find information on the usual process taken when investigating a cruelty complaint below:

1. A concerned member of the public contacts the RSPCA NSW by phone on  02 9770 7555 or submitting a Cruelty Report Form.
 
2. Details are taken – including the contact details of the person making the report. These are confidential and are never passed on to the offender but are required by law as an inspector may need to contact you for further information.
 
3. The job is dispatched to an inspector.
 
4. An RSPCA NSW Inspector will attend the premises. Inspectors have the  power to enter premises and inspect an animal under the Prevention of Cruelty to  Animals Act – with or without the presence of the owner. The Inspector will view the animal in question and query the owner regarding the animal’s condition, to establish reasons for the state of the animal.
 
5. Action taken by RSPCA NSW Inspectors depends on the animal’s condition and if an act of cruelty under the law has been committed. The Inspector will do one of three things – issue instructions to assist the owner to rectify the situation; give an official warning; seize the animals.
 
6. If instructions are given,  the Inspector will then revisit to ensure they are complied with. The  complainant may be required to provide proof of compliance. Should the owner fail to comply with instructions given by the Inspector, the animal may be seized.