On Saturday, Oct. 25, volunteers will head to four Milwaukee-area off-leash dog exercise areas at 10 a.m. through noon to hand out branded tennis balls, bandannas and food dishes and, most importantly, spread the message about the importance of reporting animal abuse.

The volunteer event arrives as a part of the Spot Abuse Project, a grass roots public service campaign – as well as a pilot for a potential nationwide effort – launched back in May based on research from the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys that founds 76 percent of animal abusers also abuse a member of their family.

"If community members contact the police when they suspect animal abuse, not only will the animal be protected, but the police may have the opportunity to identify and intervene in domestic violence situations," said Jill Kline, vice president of community impact programs at the Wisconsin Humane Society. "By reporting animal abuse, community members may save the lives of both human and animal victims."

The four selected dog exercise areas include Currie Park, 3535 N. Mayfair Rd., Warnimont Park, 5400 S. Lake Dr., Roverwest, 3243 N. Weil St., and Granville, 11718 W. Good Hope Rd.

"We know how it important it is to continue to spread the word throughout the community about the real impact that reporting animal abuse has on family’s lives," said Gary Mueller, creative director at Serve Marketing. "This is a truly grass-roots campaign. And its success is dependent on recruiting passionate advocates who will help get this message out. Dog parks just seemed like a natural place to do that."