Instructions
Check the dog for physical signs of abuse. These could include scars, lesions, burns or open wounds. Check his paws, legs, mouth and eyes. Run your hand through his coat against his skin and see if you find any abnormalities. Especially look for trauma around his face and hindquarters. Missing fur or sores around his neck could indicate a dog that was chained up for long periods.
Look for malnourishment. A dog that is wafer thin with his ribs sticking out has not had enough food, or nourishing enough food, to eat. The dog may have missing teeth that rotted out, cloudy eyes, show no energy and be generally fatigued. A dog that scrambles for any hint of food that falls on the floor may also have been starved. Repeat vomiting and bloody diarrhea are other signs.
Gauge his reaction to ordinary things. If the dog cowers, growls, hides or runs off at the sight of a broom, mop, newspaper or anything else you happen to pick up around the house, there’s a good chance the dog has had some bad encounters with such objects in the past. See if he has any adverse reactions to things. Getting him a collar, leash, stick or anything else with which he’s been tied up or hit with could definitely signal past abuse. He may run, growl, cower or perhaps even lunge to attack in the presence of any of these items, or others that he’s been abused with.
Watch for signs of fear. A dog that refuses to leave his kennel, hides beneath the bed and won’t come out or stares wide-eyed and terrorized at all things surrounding him may honestly be that terrorized because of a past history of having bad things happen unless he is fully out of sight.
Raise your arms up and see what he does. Dogs that were hit in anger, or for the heck of it, will cower and even run when someone raises their hands or arms in the dog’s presence. Of course, don’t torture the dog by doing this repeatedly if you see him cringe, but it is a good gauge to see if he’s been hit in the past.
See if he has adverse reactions to certain people. Men with cowboy hats, women with bouffants, kids with tricycles. If the dog goes out of his way to avoid a certain type of person for no apparent reason, he may have been abused by someone that looked like that. Something as simple as a baseball cap or pair of boots may trigger this reaction.
How to Tell if a Dog has Been Abused
Many of us have, unfortunately, have seen dogs that have been victims of malicious and hateful abusers. Some of us may have seen the signs and not even realized what we were seeing or why a dog was reacting a certain way. You can tell if a dog has been abused by being very observant of his behavior, mannerisms, reactions and physical health. A few steps will help tell if a dog has been abused.