Animal Control
Officers used to be called dogcatchers.
Jennifer Blankenship is a South Florida Animal Control Officer (ACO) who took a few moments to answer some questions the public may have for her. The job of an ACO is a job filled with misconceptions and misunderstandings. Many people believe that ACOs, formerly known as "dogcatchers," are the "bad guys," the ones responsible for putting animals behind bars and, ultimately, to sleep. But that's not really the case.
What is the most frustrating part of your job?
"Governmental policies. Animal Control falls under the Department of Public Safety. That's the department that is charged with keeping people safe. Its first responsibility is keeping people, not necessarily animals, safe. Many of its policies are not always the best thing for the animals. It's very hard when, for example, you have to euthanize a kitten because it does not weigh two pounds or a dog that may have bitten someone just trying to break up a fight because ‘it’s policy.’ It's very frustrating."
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
"I am really in a position to help people. There are times when I can educate a person and change things around for them and make it better. It's not all about enforcement. Like the time we found this little old man living in a tiny trailer home with too many cats. The house was in terrible shape. I got a rescue organization involved, we got some of the cats re-homed, got the rest of them sterilized and his house cleaned up and it was just so much better. That's a good day when we can help someone out like that."
What do you most want the public to know about your job?
"I don't always agree with the laws I enforce. I know that when you call me because there is a dog chained up in a yard and it's 100 degrees out or the dog is trapped in a small boxy crate in the sun with very little ventilation you expect me to do something. You want me to take the dog. You want me to arrest the owner. But the law says if the dog can stand up and turn around, well, it's legal. They need to know that they have to go get their elected officials to change the law; I can't do anything in cases like that. It's tough for me too."
Have you ever broken a rule or gone against a policy?
"Yes, there is a policy about staff not adopting or even fostering animals. It's a good policy because if it weren't in place, of course, all of the employees would be tempted to try to take home as many animals as possible to avoid them being put to sleep. They might even feel guilty if they didn’t take the animals home to prevent the daily euthanasia. So this takes away that pressure. Employees can't take animals out of the shelter so we don't feel so bad that we don't. But there was this one time. This sweet dog had bitten someone. But she was actually the victim of a dog attack, and when a woman tried to break up the attack, the dog bit her. So because the dog had a bite event on her record, she was scheduled for euthanasia. Well, this was a breed I was particularly fond of, and also I felt that the dog didn't deserve to be labeled as a bite risk. So I kind of engineered a rescue and that dog is sleeping on my bed as we speak. I don't regret it."
Tags: Animal Control, What most, Animal Control Officer, bitten someone, Control Officer, keeping people