Have you ever wondered what happens to the animals left behind when their owners pass on? What about animals left in the houses of evicted tenants? Or what about when animals are lost, or hurt, or neglected. Whose job is it to track down owners and animal abusers? You might say 'the Humane Society,' but you would be wrong. In Lexington, those roles all fall under the responsibility of Animal Care & Control.
Lexington-Fayette Animal Care & Control (AC&C), although in close working proximity to the Lexington Humane Society, is contracted and funded by the city and sub-contracted by the Humane Society. Long gone are the days of the leash-laden dogcatchers and ill-guided means of 'ridding' the city of strays (i.e. putting a bullet in their heads). In 1976 when the city and county governments merged, it was decided that the new Animal Care & Control Division would work with the Lexington Humane Society in devising better ways to impound, house, and treat animals.
"The city government owned us at the time ['76 and prior] and it consisted of, basically, a dogcatcher," said Chief Nathan Bowling, who has been with Lexington-Fayette AC&C for 19 years. "Then it became a part of the Division of Public Safety, and the merged government thought the humane society would be a good match in dealing with animal control humanely.
"Years ago, if you look at the old state policy, the mentality was if the dog catcher couldn't pick up a dog, he'd just shoot him right there. They [dogcatchers] could house them any way they wanted to house them, as long as they were being fed and watered. Our concept now, or the Humane Society's concept, was that animal control could be done live-capture, nothing injured, euthanasia could be done more humanely, and housing could be done better. That's when they started the facility here."
Now located adjacent to the Humane Society on Old Frankfort Pike, AC&C has all of the old responsibilities of dog catching, in addition to the new responsibilities of ensuring public safety when animals are involved. Between dealing with operational day-to-day tasks, like staying within budget, maintaining in-house function, and recruitment training, and dealing with the public, Bowling admits it can get a bit hairy (no pun intended).
"It sometimes can be a nightmare," said Bowling. "We get everybody's animals. When a stray is out roaming the streets, we get them. If someone is being evicted from a house and they have animals, we get them. Arrested for a DUI and they have an animal in the vehicle, we get them. If someone gets burnt out of their house, we get them. If someone dies and the coroner calls, we get their animals. That's a big responsibility."
Often the hidden heroes of the animal-loving kind, Lexington's AC&C officers tackle everything from strays and vicious animals to sick or injured wildlife and roadside casualties--and you can almost count the officers on one hand.
"There's nothing we won't rescue or respond to," said Bowling. "Just a few days ago a lady called about a duck that was injured, so I sent out an officer to try to catch it. Well, it kept flying away--it could fly, it just couldn't walk--so another officer had to be sent out. It was captured and sent for rehabilitationÖAnother interesting story was when I got a call from a gentleman who claimed there was a two-foot rat in his bedroom. So about an hour later, I got out to his place and walked with him into his bedroom. There sitting up in his bed, eating a sandwich, was an opossum--harmless though it was, I got him out of the room and back into the wild. Needless to say, the gentleman was losing his sight."
"But do keep in mind," added Bowling. "We have six field officers for all of Fayette County, do the math. So there is a priority listing. And because we're operating 24/7/365 days a year, we tell people it may be a couple of days before we can send out an officer--depending on the priority of the case.
"If a vicious-dog report comes in or a cruelty call, those things have to be answered firstÖAnimals that are sick, injured, or vicious, those are the top things and you'll always get a fast response. And it doesn't matter what type of animal it is. People hit raccoons, opossums, deer, every day and we respond to all of that. I've had people say 'Oh, you only deal with cats and dogs.' No, if someone calls us and they have a sick raccoon lying on their porch, we'll send out an officer to see if it really is sick. If it's not, the officer won't bother it because it's natural wildlife. If it's sickly, it's a safety concern with the public, and we'll impound it and bring it in to rehabilitate and release."
In addition to responding to public safety calls and complaints, another big part of AC&C's daily workload is returning lost pets to their owners.
"I have to make sure this place is operational, because when we get animals that are picked up, one of our main responsibilities is we have to track down the owners," said Bowling, who ran a security company before taking his current job. "So I have to make sure the rest of my staff is taking the necessary actions to get the animals reunited with their owners. Unfortunately though, a lot of times owners don't want to come out and pay the fees, but it's one of my main objectives to jump through every possible hoop to get these animals back with their owners and clean up the area."
One thing pet owners can do to ensure a safe return if their pet is lost, is to license and microchip their pet with the Humane Society. Microchipping is a one-time $20 fee; licensing is an annual fee of $8 for an altered dog or cat or $40 for an unaltered animal.
"Licensing used to be through the state, but it's now through us," said Carrie Trapp, director of development at the Humane Society. "We're just finishing our first year of self-regulation. Licensing and microchipping are a must for every pet owner in Fayette County, and you can do it right here onsite."
Owners can also have their animals spayed or neutered at the Humane Society, which is just as important (if not more) as registering your animal.
"Our Spay/Neuter Program is one of the best there is. It's a small cost [low-cost, income-based] and it's in-house," said Bowling. "I can't tell you how important this is. We could put out 100 officers and it wouldn't change the real problem--it's got to come from the Spay/Neuter Program. We have to change the cycle, and even if I don't see the change in my lifetime, we will see it. It's going to take a proactive change to stop the influx of unwanted animals."
The transition from being an animal-loving softie who 'oohs' and 'ahhs' over cuddly kittens and precious pups to being the Commander in Chief in a midnight sting operation to retrieve stolen animals is a tricky one.
"From what I've witnessed being here is that it's very emotional work," said Trapp. "You're trying to deal with ration and logic versus the 'Oh my gosh' emotion you get when you see these animals being hurt or stuck or sick. And you have to blend those two together to do what is right. It makes for an interesting day."
"I've always been an animal lover," said Bowling, who owns four dogs and three cats--five of which are humane society rescues. "It's a different experience being here. We do about 10,000 calls a year and 4-6,000 cruelty complaints, and that's not counting the investigation that needs to be done once the complaint is filed. We want to help people help themselves, and the animals.
"What I really like about my job, over any type of law enforcement, is that you deal with animals, then you deal with the people--and both of them have a side of the story. If you're good enough to get to the bottom of the case, to the people, you can make a difference. We're not designed to write tickets [as animal care law enforcement], we're here to educate and to assist. Those are the first lines and then the law enforcement has to be done."
Because potential AC&C officers undergo the same training and state requirements as other law enforcement officers, it's only natural that many new officers start off their careers in animal control.
"I have a lot of police officers who have been in animal control," said Bowling. "In fact, my cruelty investigator is a 30-year veteran of the Lexington Police Department. I've had firemen who have worked for me, I had one who worked full time as a fireman and full time as animal control. There are at least seven ex-AC&C officers who now work for either Lexington or Jessamine County police departmentsÖIt's educational, it's a good concept, it gets their feet in the door, and provides training--you can take what you get here into the daily practice of law enforcement."
The day-to-day operations of AC&C, though laden with emotion and responsibility, is a fulfilling one for Bowling and his staff. From wrestling snakes out of car engines, cats off of roofs, opossums from bedrooms, and tarantulas from owners-gone-missing, there's definitely no lack of excitement or spontaneity in any given day.
"I'm not afraid of any animal," added Bowling. I've never met an animal I didn't likeÖJust the other night, I brought home a baby bunny and baby raccoon to relocate it out. My two daughters get the greatest experience because they get to see everything. I've got pictures with them and a six-foot crocodile in their arms. They love it."
To find out more on the Lexington-Fayette Animal Care & Control Division or the Lexington Humane Society, visit www.lexingtonhumanesociety.org.