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Animal control officers seek to improve people-pet relationships

By Kate Miller, Record Managing Editor
Posted 1/4/17

Brenda Klingler, a Warrenton animal control officer, has a lot of stories about pets. She can recall small dogs living in a fenced-in area without a gate. The owners, evidently, didn’t plan on …

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Animal control officers seek to improve people-pet relationships

Posted
By Kate Miller, Record Managing Editor
Brenda Klingler, a Warrenton animal control officer, has a lot of stories about pets.She can recall small dogs living in a fenced-in area without a gate. The owners, evidently, didn’t plan on letting them out.She also remembers a dog with an unusable leg, stranded with its puppy.Another dog she remembers is a pit bull who lived on a chain outdoors and acted aggressively when people neared the property.“All of his signals were, ‘I’m terrified. Stay away from me,’ ” said Klingler, who found out the pit bull had lived outside on the chain for about eight years with little human contact.But that would not be the end of his story.“True aggression is a rare thing. Mostly, it’s fear,” Klingler said.Like people, she said, animals have critical developmental stages. If they miss those stages, or the stages are interrupted, it can leave lasting personality traits. True aggression can be one of them.If a dog is aggressive, Klingler said, it needs to be removed to keep neighborhoods safe from harm.Warrenton has two full-time animal control officers, Klingler and Elizabeth Fry. Their job is not the “dog catcher” of yesteryear.“It’s a humane profession,” Klingler said. “It goes beyond picking up strays off the street.”The animal control officers spend their time in the community. They talk to residents and get to know the people and pets in the neighborhoods. They connect them to resources for veterinary care, spay and neutering programs, training and donated pet supplies.They also talk to kids about how to approach animals they don’t know and how to properly care for pets.The idea is to help people create better relationships with their pets and create more rewarding outcomes.“Most people want to do right by their animal, they just don’t know how to,” Klingler said.The team ensures that pet owners are following state and local animals laws. Pets — dogs and cats — are not allowed to roam free. If they are outside, water and adequate shelter must be available, Klingler said. Pet owners also need to keep their pets in good health.Last year, the department took in 261 animals and 83 percent of them were placed in homes or with rescue groups or shelters where they were more likely to be adopted.“As soon as an animal comes in, I’m working on an exit strategy,” said Klingler, adding they are given names and good care, too.Still, some people have the wrong impression of what animal control does.“It breaks my heart when people say, ‘You’re not going to kill him, are you?’ That really bothers me. We try really hard to place everybody,” Klingler said.They want to return lost pets to their rightful owners, so each animal’s picture is added to the Found/Adoption pages on the city’s website and on the city’s Facebook page. There is a seven-day hold before they can be adopted.In the meantime, the animals are being kept at the city’s shelter at 3 Coleman Drive in Warrenton. Animal control officers and volunteers provide their daily care.The entire operation is funded by the city and taxpayers. Fines and fees help repay some of the costs.People who are interested in volunteering can complete an application at Warrenton City Hall.The animal rescue business everywhere is overwhelmed. Klingler said for every human there are 15 dogs and 45 cats. Spaying and neutering would go a long way in containing pet populations.Dogs are more likely than cats to be adopted or find their way back home. Klingler said most people don’t come looking for a lost cat.“We maybe returned four all year,” she said.There seems to be an idea that cats are a disposable pet, but that is not the case, Klingler said.“Owning an animal is a privilege,” she said. “We need to provide for them.”Klingler, who is a former police officer, said her job as an animal control officer can get tough, emotionally.“Animals are always victims of somebody, in a lot of ways that is always tougher,” she said. “It’s not an easy job, but it’s an important job.”Klingler came to know the chained pit bull as Gully and he is an example of why she loves her job. Gully spent eight years on a chain outdoors. Klingler saw him there for two years.When it was time for animal control to step in, he was acting aggressive and territorial, and she and Officer Fry had to win him over. They used treats, food and proper body language. When the dog felt comfortable, he greeted them with kisses and affection. He was no longer fearful. He was starving for attention.Gully got a new life with new family and a home.“It was the first time he got a blanket and a bed. You should have seen him rolling around in that bed,” Klingler said. “It’s those great outcomes that you live for.”

Warrenton Animal Control Officer Elizabeth Fry with a pit bull that was reportedly aggressive. Submitted photo.

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