An animal control service or animal control agency is an entity charged with responding to requests for help with animals ranging from wild animals, dangerous animals, or animals in distress. An individual who works for such an entity was once known as a dog-catcher, but is generally now called an animal control officer, and may be an employee or a contractor â€" commonly employed by a municipalities, county, shire or other sub-national government area.
Duties and function
Animal control services may be provided by the government or through a contract with a humane society or society for the prevention of cruelty to animals. Officers may work for or, with police or sheriff departments, parks and recreation departments, and health departments by confining animals or investigating animal bites to humans.
The most common requirements for this job is some prior experience handling animals on a farm, as a veterinary assistant or animal trainer. Training is primarily on the job but some jurisdictions (like Virginia, North Carolina and Texas) require formal and continuing education available from community colleges and trade associations. Some animal cruelty investigators are specially trained police officers, the New York American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) employs several Humane Law Enforcement Officers with some police powers (including the power of arrest); and throughout the United States this arrangement is becoming more common.
Animals may be returned to their owners, or transported to a veterinary clinic or animal shelter. Animals held in the shelter can be returned to their owners, adopted, released to the wild, held as evidence in a criminal investigation or put to sleep.
Active cruelty to animals, such as chaining, may be an indicator of serious psychological or violence problems. Because of these links, in some places animal control officers have begun to look for and report on other issues.
In politics
An American colloquialism labels an unpopular politician by saying that he or she "couldn't be elected dogcatcher", with "dogcatcher" referring to very low-level elected office. In practice, animal control officers are generally appointed by an executive authority and not elected
In 2017 U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Senator Bob Corker by tweeting: "Bob Corker, who helped President O give us the bad Iran Deal & couldn't get elected dog catcher in Tennessee, is now fighting Tax Cuts.... / ...Corker dropped out of the race in Tennesse when I refused to endorse him, and now is only negative on anything Trump. Look at his record!"
References
External links
- National Dog Warden Association
- National Animal Care and Control Association
- Western Australian Rangers Association
- Animal Control Officers FunStop
