Your Animal Control Officer

Work has been crappy and just in a mood. This was sent in to Dear Abby years ago but still holds true today.

I am your Animal Control Officer. I am not the dreaded "dog catcher" or the "murderer" you call me.

I'm not the one who allows your pets to breed, then dumps the unwanted puppies and kittens on roadsides and in shelters. I'm the one who must find the tiny animals before they die of starvation, exposure or disease and, as an act of mercy, exterminate them. It hurts me to be forced to kill hundreds of thousands of animals each year, but because of your irresponsibility, I have no choice.

I'm not the one who abandons unwanted animals on the farm roads, telling myself some friendly farmer will surely take them in and give them a good home. But I am the one who picks up the frightened animal who waits in vain for its beloved master, wondering why it has been abandoned. I am the one who must help that friendly farmer trap, tranquilize or kill that animal because it has begun to roam in packs with other abandoned hungry animals, killing livestock, fowl and game.


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.

So, remember the next time a stray dog bites your
child, your trash is dumped and scattered, your pet is
lost, stolen, poisoned or hit by a car, and it is the
Animal Control Officer you call not the "dog catcher."


The next time your pet is picked up, or you are cited for neglecting or abusing it, remember that I am only trying to get you to fulfill your responsibility to your pet, your neighbor and yourself.

Do not scorn me. Respect me, for I am the product of your irresponsibility. I love animals, and I care.