[U.S. PA] Is This Animal Cruelty, and is There Anything I Can Do?

19 year old male, freshman in college. At the beginning of the school year my building staff (RAs and CA) told me I was allowed to keep my two pet toads in my room. They were well taken care of all year and there was never an issue with them. On December 3rd, 2016, I had a disciplinary issue with my college. On December 16th I was suspended and told to immediately leave my dorm room and get off campus. My house is 45 minutes away from the campus, but I do not have a car, so all I could pack was a duffel bag and my backpack. I was forced to leave without my toads or the majority of my stuff. I spent the next few days in a friend's house off campus. I was told I was not allowed back on the college campus and I would face legal action if caught on college property, so when my mother was able to pick me up on the following monday, I was unable to get my toads. I texted a friend in the dorm building to ask him to check on my toads, and he informed me that my building staff had gone into my room, taken the toads out of their habitat, and thrown them out the door into the snow. My suspension from college was overturned at the beginning of January, so I am now back on campus in a different residence hall, but I was wondering if I have a case for animal cruelty or destroying property or stealing or something? Nobody from the college attempted to contact me about my toads, they weren't given to a pet store, they were just thrown outside. Is the staff of my building allowed to go into my room and remove my pets and do this? Any advice is appreciated.

Posted Feb 4, 2017, 8:09 PM UTC

412

I wonder if bird law has any overlap with toad law. Send them a bill for the cost of the toads, they disposed of your property. They were well entitled to enter your room however. You'd have a tough time getting them charged for animal cruelty over a pair of toads, though it breaks my heart to hear what they did with them.

8
Septothorpe•

Indeed. They could have called someone to remove the animals instead. Then all the OP would have to worry about were his pets being illegally toad.

8
DiplipperOP•

I'll look into laws regarding toads specifically, but I will definitely attempt to bill them. Thanks for the input!

3

Lol there won't be any laws specific to toads, Im so sorry, that was an It's Always Sunny joke. I'm almost as ashamed of this as I am of my tiny hands. NOBODY LOOK, NOBODY LOOK, NOBODY LOOK.

3
DiplipperOP•

Haha you definitely got me lol I was looking for laws regarding just amphibians and couldn't find anything.

3
NapalmenatorQuality Contributor•

It is not cruel to put animals outside.

You can sue for the value of the toads.

Whether they could enter your room is up to your contract which likely allowed it

Talk to the person in charge of the dorm to see what they might be willing to do to compensate you

-5
DiplipperOP•

My toads require proper heating/humidity/etc. It was my impression that putting an animal that requires proper environmental conditions out into the snow would be considered cruel. Am I wrong on that? Thanks for the input!

7
NapalmenatorQuality Contributor•

You are wrong.

-9
jynnsomething•

Pretty sure if you put a dog outside and never let it in, you'd have a problem.

3
DiplipperOP•

Gotcha. I will schedule a meeting with the person in charge of the building and discuss financial compensation. Thank you for your advice.

2
hhhnnnnnggggggg•

But isn't that potentially damaging to the ecosystem? If non-native they could be invasive, if native then they could still spread parasites or something.

5
NapalmenatorQuality Contributor•

All animals could spread parasites.

And non natives are generally controlled by laws.

None of that makes it abuse or illegal let to toads go outside

-4