By Joe Rodweller
The following is something I have had for years and think it should be posted again. I think it is overdue. A few things have been taken out or added over the years, but it still makes its point.
“I am your Animal Control Officer”
I am your Animal Control Officer. I am not the dreaded “dog catcher” which you call me.
I’m not the one who allows your pets to breed and then dumps the unwanted puppies and kittens on the roadside or into the over-crowded shelter. I’m not the one who gives them to anyone without knowing if they will be mistreated like others in the past, just so you can make a few dollars. I am the one who must find the tiny animals before they die of starvation, exposure or disease and, take them somewhere where they may be helped and sometimes where, as an act of mercy, exterminate them.
It hurts me to know that we along with shelters are forced to kill animals each year, but because of your irresponsibility, we have no other choice.
I’m not the one who abandons unwanted animals on the back roads, telling myself someone will surely take them in and give them a good home. But I am the one who picks up the frightened animals who waits in vain for its beloved master, wondering why it has been abandoned. I am the one who must help others trap, tranquilize or kill that animal because it has begun to roam in a pack with other abandoned, hungry animals, killing livestock, fowl, wild game and other pets.
I am not the one who breeds and fights dogs in the name of “sport.” But I’m the one who fights the breeders and participants and must pick up the dead and dying animals that have been left behind. I am the one who watches as the offenders go free with a “slap on the hand” because our laws are lax and there is not enough public education given for animal abuse.
I am the one who, after witnessing first hand all the above will still be there for those animals in need no matter what the problem or the cost, even if we have to go into our own pockets on occasion because no Officer gets enough compensation from their town.
So remember the next time a stray dog, or any dog for that matter, bites your child or you; your trash is dumped and scattered; your pet is lost, stolen, poisoned or hit by a car; or your cat has a bullet hole in him, it is the Animal Control Officer you call for help, not the “dog catcher.”
The next time your pet is picked up, or you are cited for abusing or neglecting it, remember that I am only trying to get you to fulfill your responsibility to your pet, yourself and your neighbor. Your pets are solely your responsibility, no one else’s.
Do not scorn me. Respect me, for I am the product of your irresponsibility! I love animals and I care.
Thanks for reading.
Joe Rodweller of Linneus, a certified animal control officer and member of the Maine Animal Control Association, operates Maine Animal Control with his wife Debbie. He can be reached at 538-1347 or via e-mail at debjoe347@yahoo.com.
