Bridgeport Animal Control Officer Jennifer Merenda said she has seen a rise in animal cruelty cases in her city and is bracing for more.
“We’re getting to the point where if we don’t get more people on board and we don’t educate people on proper care and we don’t get vet costs down, it’s just going to keep getting worse,” Merenda said.
A 2025 statewide report by Desmond’s Army Animal Law Advocates, a nonprofit organization, found animal cruelty cases increasing in Connecticut even as incarceration rates declined. The organization documented a 20 percent jump in cases from 2023 to 2024 and projects continued growth in 2025, with roughly 80 percent of resolved cases expected to result in little or no incarceration, according to the report.
The report said incarcerations declined from 13 cases in 2023 to five in 2024. During the same period, courts increasingly used diversionary programs, which rose from about 37 percent of resolved cases in 2023 to more than 42 percent in 2024, with projections nearing 50 percent in 2025, according to the report. Diversionary programs allow some people charged with animal cruelty to avoid a criminal conviction if they complete counseling or educational programs.
Efforts are underway at the state level to address the issue. In January, animal activists and lawmakers gathered at the state Capitol to discuss proposals aimed at combating animal cruelty. Those measures include proposals to make animal starvation a felony, limit diversion programs for some offenders, create a background registry for pet store owners and improve conditions for animals seized and placed in shelters.
The report includes accounts from animal control officers who said the lack of legal consequences places a strain on local enforcement. Stratford Assistant Animal Control Officer Angelique Fitzmorris described a case in which an individual was arrested after authorities found a senior dog severely underweight and suffering from dental disease. According to the report, an X-ray later showed the dog had teeth and wire in its gastrointestinal tract, requiring veterinary care. Authorities sought restitution for veterinary bills, but the case was later dismissed in court, according to the report.
State Rep. Anne Hughes, D-135th District, a member of the legislature’s animal welfare caucus, said stronger laws are needed to address what she described as systemic animal cruelty.
“There has to be other ways of doing some kind of holding people accountable by strengthening the penalty laws of animal cruelty,” Hughes said.
Merenda said one of the biggest challenges in Bridgeport is identifying and holding accountable people who abandon their pets. Many animals found on the streets have no identification, making it difficult to trace ownership and pursue neglect or abandonment charges.
In cities such as Bridgeport, housing pressures may also contribute to the problem, she said. Renters may be forced to give up pets when properties are purchased by limited liability companies that prohibit animals. For some residents, Merenda said, the choice becomes one between housing and keeping a pet. With many shelters operating at or near capacity, abandonment can follow.
Animal control offices and shelters also face funding and resource challenges. Merenda said some municipalities do not provide standardized equipment or sufficient funding, and some do not allow shelters to use social media, which she described as one of the primary tools for reaching the public about lost, abandoned or adoptable animals.
Connecticut was recognized by the Animal Legal Defense Fund, a national advocacy organization, as the most improved state for animal protection laws in 2023, rising to 11th in the nation. Despite that reputation, Merenda said cruelty cases have increased in recent years.
“From 2018 to 2023 it was getting better,” she said. “But then the last two to three years, it’s been turning up the heat.”
Merenda said she remains committed to her work but emphasized that broader public support, stronger laws and additional resources would be necessary to reduce cruelty cases statewide.
