1. City officials make animal control facility a higher priority
Anna Foster | Posted: Sunday,April 1, 2001 12:00am
Tryingto elevate the animal control facility from the status of "forgottenstepchild" has become an increasingly important p riorityfor
city officials, City Manager Mark Watson said Friday.
"It's been pushed 'out of sight, out of mind' for a while," Watson said. "I need to have a professional operation andenough staff, and there
are some issues there that needto be addressed."
In addition to a lack of management attentionfor several years, Watson said, the facilities are inadequate and employees have limited
training.
He added that improvements have been made, but negative stories continue to spread while positive stories do not.
Watson said he plans to hire a veterinarian on retainer andconsider adding money for additional staff in the next budget.
Assistant to the City Manager Redmond Jones said the veterinarian would be "an on-site professional to help in animal-related
emergencies, develop standard operatingprocedures, and ensure and maintain a clean, healthy work site and kennel."
Jones said the city's animal control officers have all the required state training.
In response to reports that the current animal control officers are often rude, Watson said that they recently attendedcustomer service
training.
"We're going to change this," Councilwoman Martha Tyroch said. "This is for all of us, the whole community. It doesn't have t o be this
way."
Jones said animal control has two functions, public safety and public education.
"We do that by responding to animal-relatedemergencies, gettinganimals off streets, adopting animals out when possible and educating
owners of pets to be responsible owners," which includes spaying or neutering and keeping animals from becoming a danger to others,
Jones said.
He said the city is tryingto increase its efforts for adoption.
"Public safety is our primary concern, but you have to have public education," Jones said. "Adoption is a part of that andwe're takinga
more aggressive role in that. In the scope of things, (public education) will save us money. The more responsible owners we h ave, the
less we have to go out and capture animals; the more spay and neuter, the fewer strays we have to pick up and euthanize."
Richard Therriault, animal control director, saidmore cages were being added to the facility on Mama Dog Lane, and hopedto add an
additional building to serve as a pet adoption center.
Councilman Jack Morris said he doesn't like the remote location of the current facility, andwould like to see a place more centrally
located.
Jerri Davis, president of the local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said they will support the changes, but are also
waiting to see if the proposedchanges will actually have an effect.
Jones has been overseeing the work of the Animal Shelter Advisory Board as they update the animal control ordinance.
He said the revisions were almost complete, andwould come before the council for approval within a coup le of months