Many children are warned by their parents, “Take care of your dog, or the dog catcher might get them”. This early introduction to animal control services can often damage the way we look at this important facet of social control. No one is going to like someone who has apparently threatened to steal a beloved pet.
Animal control services have evolved over the years. Animal control officers are responsible for a wide variety of different services now, which help to provide a high level of public safety. In addition, they can be of great service to people. Animal control officers are often responsible for finding and helping return lost pets to people. As anyone who has seen a pet reunited with their lost owner knows, that can be a truly special moment.
The name animal control services is often used interchangeably with animal control agencies. The function of animal control services is diverse. They are responsible for handling situations that occur when wild or unexpected animals appear out of control.
When it comes to wild animals, they may be called in to tranquilize an animal that is potentially a threat to people and property. From there, the animal can be safely returned where it belongs. In many cases, animal control is called for loose animals. This can lead to them finding many dogs, cats and other pets that have been lost or run away. If the pet is properly microchipped, then it’s easy to discover who it belongs to and help get the pet back to their worried owner.
Many people may not realize, but animal services can actually be run or controlled by many different areas. The most common type of animal services is run by a level of government. There’s not much call for federal animal services, but there are some state options. In most cases, a city or county tends to be in charge of their own animal control in an area.
Another common provider of animal control is the various human society or SPCA locations that can be found around the country. The same can be said for some animal rescue organizations. Typically, these are called for incidents of abandoned or feral animals. Sadly, animals are often abandoned by people. Some animal control services can help save them and nurse them back to health.
There’s plenty of reasons to call animal control. Anytime there’s a threat to an animal in question or to the public itself, that’s the time to call animal control. They will also help notify other people who might be required.
The most common reason they are called is for animal attacks. Usually this comes from dogs that have been mistreated or are terribly behaved. Anytime a dog aggressively attacks a human, animal control should be notified. The same can be said for wilder animals like coyotes, wolves and bears. In most cases for these however, their appearance is usually enough.
Animals that are wandering in dangerous areas are also at threat. Think of a deer or moose that wanders in from the forest into a subdivision or city area. The animal itself is at great risk of injury. Oftentimes, they are unused to the kind of items set up and can hurt themselves when attempting to run away from people. Cars are also a serious concern.
Another time to call animal control is any time that a person believes they have witnessed an animal that might have rabies. These rabid animals often foam at the mouth and behave aggressively and dangerously. Rabies is still a very serious problem and animal control can help ensure that it’s not transmitted to anyone around the situation.
