Cascade County, Montana, Selected for Animal Cruelty Response and Prevention Program

GREAT FALLS, Mont. — The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) announced its selection of Cascade County, Montana, to launch the Collaborative Response Project, a year-long intensive partnership to address animal cruelty cases in the county and better ensure prevention. The project will train and support the agencies and experts whose participation is critical to effectively respond to animal abuse and neglect — including law enforcement, veterinarians and the state’s prosecutors. As part of the program, the Great Falls Animal Shelter and ALDF are requesting residents participate in a public survey to help local agencies more effectively address animal cruelty and provide resources to support prevention in their communities. 

Residents can access the surveys here and here. 

“Properly addressing and preventing animal cruelty requires coordination. It is critical for the local animal control, law enforcement, and veterinarians to work closely together to both implement the solutions that prevent cruelty and also build the effective legal cases when abuse does occur,” says Animal Legal Defense Fund Animal Cruelty Investigations Manager Linda Fielder. “In a time of budget cuts and staffing shortfalls, ALDF’s Collaborative Response Project will work to support the specific needs of the communities in Cascade County and set-up stakeholders for long-term success in their efforts to stop animal cruelty from the start.” 

“Collaboration and resources go hand in hand when it comes to preventing animal cruelty,” says Laramie Smovir, Animal Shelter Division Manager for the City of Great Falls. “While the agencies and professionals doing this work can identify gaps from our perspective, residents may be experiencing barriers or unmet needs that we do not see. Their input through these surveys, combined with the information, training, and support provided through this project, will help participating agencies work together to address those gaps, better support our community, and prevent situations from escalating into neglect or cruelty.” 

Cascade County encompasses 2,712 square miles of land and includes suburban and rural populations. Multiple animal control and law enforcement agencies cover different municipalities within the county, making the need for collaboration and cooperative response to cases critical. In 2025 alone, Cascade County Animal Control received a total of 11,000 calls involving animals that had to be evaluated. Collaborative Response Project support for Cascade County will include: 

• Tools for building a network of local experts to respond to reports of animal cruelty, with a focus on veterinary support. 

• One year of funding for forensic veterinary services in animal cases. 

• Hands-on training for veterinarians, law enforcement, and prosecutors. 

• Expert individual case consultations. 

• A strong, lasting foundation of processes and materials to continue successful investigations moving forward.  

• Creative solutions to close resource gaps and prevent animal cruelty. 

Crimes against animals can be challenging to prosecute — not only can the victims not testify to their treatment, but animals are unique, living evidence that many law enforcement agencies and prosecutors do not regularly handle. The Collaborative Response Project will create partnerships between veterinarians, law enforcement, and prosecutors in Cascade County and provide training and resources for veterinary forensics and case investigation. The program also includes trainings focused on alternative methods in obtaining legal compliance from the public through education, monitoring, and access to resources when appropriate. 

Animal crimes proliferate alongside domestic violence, neglect of children, gang activity, and mental illness. A proactive and comprehensive response to animal neglect and abuse, including resources for prevention, is foundational to building or rebuilding healthy communities and restoring public trust and goodwill. As in so many other areas of policing, collaborative relationships and community partnerships are filling gaps and offering solutions that result in positive outcomes for communities and enforcement agencies. 

In 2023, ALDF selected McHenry County, Illinois as the first location to launch the Collaborative Response Project as a pilot program. Prior to Cascade County, additional locations have been chosen for the program including Clark County, Washington, and Pima County, Arizona.