A Day In The Life

A Day In The Life Of An Animal Control Officer

　

April 3, 2013.
The day starts at 7:30. I meet several of the officers waiting to start the day. There are nine active and two trainees patrolling around ninety square miles each. Everyone checks the computer to see what calls have come in overnight. These can be anything from dogs roaming at large, aggressive animals, cruelty calls and dead animals. Each officer has an assigned area, but will go where needed.

I am allowed to sit in on an oral test for a trainee. Three officers are involved in the test. Each officer brings up a scenario that the trainee will probably come in contact with. She is able to cite the ordinances involved and whether an officer is allowed to rescue dogs or cats under these circumstances. Although this trainee was an officer in another state, she must go through the same training as a new officer before she is allowed alone on the street.

I spend the next 1 ½ hours watching an officer prepare a cruelty case. He gets all the information together to take to the General Counsels office, who handles these cases. The information includes the animals kennel card, pictures, doctor’s evaluation and all citations to the owner. The kennel card is the information that the officer supplies when the animal is brought in to the intake room, such as type of animal, sex, size and other information.

After we drop off the information to the General Counsels office, we go on our first call. The call is for a mama dog and her puppies living under someone’s house. We meet up with two other officers to help on this case. On the way to the address, we come across another mama dog and puppy in the street. The officer stops to check on them. We take the puppy, which appears to be sick. We leave the mama dog because a neighbor comes out and tells the officer he knows the owner and will take care of the dog until the owner comes home.

When we get to the house with the mama dog, we find her under the house in the back with a 4-5 inch opening to get to her and her puppies. One of the officers shines a flashlight on the mama and she doesn’t look good. She looks weak and just closes her eyes. She doesn’t show any aggression but she isn’t friendly either. The officers decide to bring the mama out first so we could get the puppies. They start digging a little hole to get mama through. I’m not somebody that can just observe, so whether I was supposed to or not, I was on my hands and knees moving dirt away with my hands. After we got mama out we started trying to get the puppies out. There wasn’t much room, but since I was the smallest, I just dived in. I laid on my back and reached my arm under the house to get to the puppies. I couldn’t see anything and we didn’t know how many puppies were under there. I finally got my hand on a little brown and white puppy. I passed it to one of the officers to put in a carrier. I felt like a hero. It was an amazing feeling. The other puppies were beyond my reach. A shovel was brought in and a bigger hole was dug so the officers could get in further. Two more puppies were brought out. Unfortunately, there were others that did not make it. But one nursing mama and three puppies is a good save.

We head back to the office. On the way back we see a dead possum in the road. The officer adds it to our collection to take back to the shelter. Once back at the shelter, the officer has to put all the information on each dog in the computer. Each animal that is brought in gets their flea medicine, dewormer and bordetella administered by the officers before taken to a kennel. Mama dog is brought in first. She is a very sweet and beautiful black dog. She is put in a kennel where she can be watched by vet techs. She is given a kiddie pool and blanket to get comfortable in before her puppies are brought in. The puppies are soon brought in to see mama again. They start nursing right away. They will go to foster care the next day to get healthy.

I also go out to check on known dumping sites. Some people won’t bring their animals to the shelter because there is a $25 fee to surrender the animal, so they dump them somewhere. The officers have developed a rapport with businesses and homeowners in the area to notify the officers if they see any animals that have been dumped. We do not see any animals today.

Generally, each officer brings in 12 animals a day. If owner surrender, they become the property of animal control. They will then be assessed to determine the next step. If an animal comes in as a stray, there is a 6 day hold to give the owner a chance to reclaim their pet.

I had an amazing day with these officers. They are all heroes to the dogs and cats that they save everyday. Whether a cruelty case or a scared stray on the streets, these animals know that they are being rescued. I was also able to meet my personal hero. He is the officer that saved a very special Pit Bull named Vinnie, that was so emaciated and weak that he had to be carried to the officer’s vehicle. Thank you just doesn’t seem enough for some of these rescues. These officers have to walk a fine line to save these animals. They don’t want to take animals away from their owners unless absolutely necessary. The officers will educate the owners and give them options if they have problems feeding their pets or taking them to the vet.

Remember, these officers are here to protect the animals. They are not "dog catchers". They do much more. They go in to dangerous situations on a weekly basis, if not daily. If you see something, say something. Report any animal abuse, strays or any other problem that you see. You can be a hero, too. These animals need us.

May 25, 2013
The mama dog in this post was adopted yesterday.  Unfortunately one of the puppies rescued that day did not survive.  Another was touch and go for awhile, but survived and is thriving along with her sister. They are both big girls now and are scheduled to be spayed next week.  They both have people interested in adopting them as soon as they are ready after surgery. From struggling to survive under a house to happy homes for all three is the icing on the cake for this story. May they all live a long life in their new forever homes.  Thank you adopters!

He Changed My Life Forever

 He came in to my life on November 26, 2011 and changed it forever.

I had been fostering for Animal Care and Protective Services for several months, fostering many dogs from a Chihuahua to a Pit Bull.  One dog had an embedded collar and all were very thin and in need of socialization with people and other dogs. I saw a picture of a dog that needed help on November 21st.  He was picked up by Animal Control from an abusive situation.  He was living on the end of a thick chain, covered in his own urine and feces, flies and fleas. There was no food or water. He was literally skin and bones. Ironically his name was Handsome.  He did have companionship though.  There was a puppy that was there with him.

When the officer arrived he gave them food. Although he was starving, the older dog allowed the puppy to eat all the food.  He wanted human contact more than he wanted food.. He just wanted the officer to pet him.  Once he got to the shelter he was checked over by the vet.  He wanted attention from everyone, and he got it.  He gave out kisses to everyone that gave him attention.  He weighed less than 34 pounds. Less than half of what a full grown Pit Bull should weigh.  Yes, this sweet, unselfish, loving dog was a “mean and aggressive” Pit Bull.

I picked him up on Saturday.  He had already started to gain weight since he was being fed regularly.  As I took him out of the shelter, I knew he was a strong dog, mentally and physically.  He was pulling on the leash to go to his next adventure.  I loaded him into the back of my SUV and headed home.  As I’m driving, he decides he does not want to stay in the back.  He jumps into the back seat and then starts moving into the front seat.  I’m trying to keep him away from the gear shift and out of my lap as I’m driving down the highway.  I manage to get him in to the passenger seat, but he’s still not happy.  I finally get him to lay down on the passenger seat with his head across the center divider touching my leg.  Then he was calm and happy.  All he wanted was to see me and touch me.  This was my first sign of what an amazing dog he was.

When we get home, it’s time for the introduction to the three resident dogs in the house.  Introductions are very important.  You never know how the new abused dog will react or how your own dogs will react to a strange dog in their house.  I start with my passive male lab/rottie mix, Logan.  He loves every dog and proves to love Handsome as well.  I now bring in my very picky female lab mix, Shylah.  She doesn’t love him as much, but she does tolerate him. Now I bring in my female boxer/ lab mix, Lucy.  She is the alpha mama dog.  She greets him well but is a little standoffish. She is now the mama dog that must teach the new dog how to behave in the house.  I always find it interesting to watch the signals between the dogs as they get to know each other. Handsome is very submissive and learns from his new friends.

Handsome is happy to get a nice bath and food in his belly. I feed him twice a day to help him gain weight.  He is fed in the bathroom to keep him separate from the other dogs, in case of food aggression. I also feel that he needs quiet time and time to enjoy food again.  After a couple of days I test him for food aggression.  He does not care when I try to take his food away from him or when the dogs come in to the bathroom to lick his bowl after he is done.

After a few days in the new house, he is now part of the family. He plays well with everyone and Lucy is acting like the perfect mama.  She is taking care of her boy.  She cleans his ears and teeth and watches over him as he learns house manners.  I try to think of a new strong name for him. I go through all the usual Pit Bull names like Diesel, Tank and others.  But nothing seems to fit.  I look at him and come up with the name Vinnie.  I don’t like it.  He needs something strong and tough.  Vinnie keeps popping into my head and I can’t get rid of it.  I start researching the name to see what it means.  I found out that it means Conqueror and Victor. I thought it was very fitting for a dog that had survived what he had.  Vinnie, he becomes.

I soon realized I was in trouble.  Through the weeks of rehabilitation for skin issues as well as helping him gain weight, I was becoming attached to Vinnie.  Was he going to be a foster failure?  I knew that if I adopted him I couldn’t foster anymore.  Four dogs was enough.  When I started thinking about somebody adopting him, I wanted to do a home visit, background check and probably take some blood to make sure that they were good enough for him.  I realized that nobody was good enough for him.  I wasn’t good enough, but I knew I would fight for him and his breed with everything I had. And that was the best I could do.

After a few setbacks with health issues, I took him in for neutering and heartworm treatment on January 23, 2012.  He became an official member of the family January 24th when I adopted him.
Needless to say, he was not feeling good.  He was in pain and groggy from the surgery and heartworm treatment.  I made a soft bed on the floor for him and he came in the house and just laid down on the bed.  Soon Lucy came over and laid down next to him on the bed and placed her head on his side.  She was taking care of her sick boy. Ironically, Lucy was a foster failure, too. As with Vinnie, it was meant to be.  She has been very helpful in teaching and helping all the fosters I brought home.

Since I have brought Vinnie home, I have become a  vocal Pit Bull advocate.  If you hate Pit Bulls, meet Vinnie and you will change your mind. He is the MOST loving dog that I have ever had..  Of all the dogs that have passed through my house, Vinnie has shown more love for all people and dogs that he comes in contact with than any other.  He is ready to give kisses, cuddle in your lap or play.  All he asks in return is a belly rub now and then. I can’t imagine anyone being against a dog that they have never met.  People like generalities.  They don’t like people that look a certain way, so why should dogs be different. Pit Bulls are individuals like all dogs.  You can’t judge all dogs by the actions of one dog. Don’t judge my Pit Bull and I won’t judge your children. You shouldn’t judge at all.  Vinnie is my child and he is a great friendly dog who I love very much. Come meet him and you will love him, too.