Animal Control: a joke?

[Patrick]

I just recently learned that the entire city of Oklahoma City only has 4 dog catchers....they're split shifts, so there's basically always one at the pound, and then one out on the street! 1 dog catcher for all of Oklahoma City! Can you believe that? I just recently learned that the city of Warr Acres has 4 dog catchers on the streets at all times. Now why can tthe city of Warr Acres do so much of a better job with this than Oklahoma City, a much larger city?
I just don't get it! Stray dogs running around town is another issue threatening the image of our city.

[Midtowner]

Absolutely! For about 2 months after we moved into our apt downtown, there was this mangy dog that lived in the streets outside our apartment. 2 months! I felt sorry for the thing. He might have had a shot at a home had his skin condition not progressed so far.

[Keith]

Yeah, it's pretty pathetic. They keep saying that they can't hire more Animal Control Officers because of budget cuts. I know there are some departments in the city that have employees that have positions where they are doing very little to nothing. They should eliminate these positions, and move some of these people around so that some of the positions that have to do with public safety can be adequately staffed.

There are many times where there has been a huge problem somewhere in the city, and OCPD calls for animal control. The first response is that there are no officers available. So, if OCPD can't get an animal control officer to assist them, what does that say about the general public when we call animal control?

Last time I checked, animal control will not send anybody out on a dog bite unless the bite actually punctured the skin. That's just wrong. Also, if you see a dead animal (cat, dog, etc..) in the street, call 297-2255, and give them the location. Sometime, within three or four days (maybe) they will come and pick up the dead animal.

If you see stray animals, call the same number, however, don't expect much of a response. I must say that the worst city department in OKC is the Animal Welfare Division. When you call, it seems that they really don't care about your problem.

[mranderson]

No offence intended, however, the terms "dog catcher," and "dog pound" are very outdated. The officers do more than just catch animals.

Animal Control Officers as they are called are commisioned peace officers with the authority to arrest and issue citations. They "control." A typical animal control officer will respond to calls ranging from the typical animal running loose to animal cruelty cases. They appear in court. They book people into jail, mostly for misdomenor offenses, but also some do felonies.

Yes. The animal control officers in Oklahoma City also work the shelter. They do not whack the animals as musch as they use to because the whacking is by inoculation.

The shelter is not the cold, damp, dingy hole of yesteryear. The workers, mostly volunteers, play with the animals and make sure they are happy. They test the animals to see if they are worthy of adoption. They even foster some animals. The shelter is very careful, in most cases, in selecting the proper animals to the humans they like, and who will take good care of them.

Yes. Oklahoma City's Animal Control has gotten to be a sad site. When I was on the force, there were nine animal control officers, two brass, and two who did nothing but large animals (ie: cows). We issued a lot of citations, filed a lot of criminal charges, and appeared in court at least once per week. Yes. We impounded some animals. However, it was priority to try and find the owner and cite or warn. We had one week in the shelter each for part of our training. We went to the Oklahoma City Police Academy and were commisioned. Mine expired several years ago as we had to renew it and qualify on the pistol range every six months. We even had to whack a few animals. I dodged that bullet (sorry for the pun). Instead I rode the doggie hearse.

To really give coverage, the city needs about 100 officers. Fully commisioned with felony arrest rights. I can not answer the question as to why funds are not there.

Even when I was there, it was under served. However. Just look at New York City. Watch "Animal Precinct" on Animal Planet and you will see how under served all major cities are.

[Patrick]

What gets me is a town the size of Warr Acres can afford the same number of animal control officer sis OKC! Come on....if Warr Acres can afford 4, OKC can obviously afford a lot more. mranderson, with the size our city is, I think 100 officers would definitely be a good number. That would allow plenty to staff the Animal Shelter, 20-30 to man the streets per shift (with how large our city is in land area, this would be a good start), and enough officers to diversify......some to cover larger areas like you mention, some to cover called-in specific complaints, some ot handle emergencies, and some just to patrol the streets looking for strays.