Defining Crimes Against Companion Animals in Finland - Passive Neglect and Active Maltreatment

Our aims were to describe the specific features of animal welfare offenses against companion animals in Finland, to study whether evidence provided by veterinarians was associated with the outcome of these cases, and to explore the sanctions and other legal consequences following these crimes in Finnish courts. Our data comprised 948 judgments in animal welfare offenses in Finland between January 2011 and May 2021. We used chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests and binary logistic regression analysis to examine them. Most offenses included neglect of animals, extending to complete abandonment. We identified two distinguishable offense types that differed by offender's age, gender, and offense location: large-scale and violent offenses. Large-scale offenses, defined as recurrent or long-lasting and involving at least 15 animals, were often located in small municipalities and led frequently to the animals' death. They were typically committed by middle-aged or elderly women and their family members who rarely confessed to the charges even partially, which may refer to animal hoarding. In contrast, violent offenses were often committed by young men also charged with other crimes and targeted against other people's animals, which is in line with previous research on intentional animal cruelty. The official veterinarians' contribution to the criminal procedure varied according to the offense type. The assessment of the severity of the animal welfare offenses, imposition of a ban on the keeping of animals, and the forfeiture of the animals appeared to pose a challenge to the prosecutors and judges. We argue that to prevent and expose crimes against companion animals, we need to recognize the diverse nature of animal welfare offenses, strengthen the education of and cooperation between authorities, and efficiently utilize the ban on the keeping of animals as a precautionary measure to prevent further offenses.