Perhaps the most overlooked department in Washington is Animal Control which operates out of a small frame building near Perdue. It’s three-member staff quietly go about their business. The manager, Beth Trousdale, has been there for ten years, and her assistant, Rex Davis, has been there sixteen. During that time Animal Control has evolved into a state-of-the-art Animal Shelter that handles about eight hundred animals a year. Surprisingly over half of those animals come from outside the city limits. From all parts of Daviess County brought to the Shelter by Sheriff’s deputies, or private individuals. Animal Control staff collect most of the rest, although some are brought in by city residents.

Every animal that enters the Shelter is given a health check, dewormed, and immunized against common diseases. Parvovirus in dogs is particularly troublesome, as it is highly contagious, and can be harbored by a symptomless dog. At any one time, the Shelter houses fifteen to twenty dogs and a like number of cats. Every day, seven days a week, rain or shine these animals must be fed, watered, and exercised. Every day their cages must be cleaned, and their health monitored.

The staff works with not-for-profits like Friends for Animals to rescue these animals. In 2018 alone, three hundred and fifty-three dogs and forty cats were sent to rescue. The Shelter itself arranged adoptions for eighty animals. From time to time, the Shelter is allowed to take cats to a pet store in Jasper, and last year fifteen were adopted from there. If you do the math, that leaves about three-hundred animals unaccounted for. Some are reunited with their owners. Unfortunately, the rest have to be put to sleep. In 2018 the staff destroyed about two-hundred and fifty cats. The remainder were dogs.

That being said, the Animal Shelter is not your Father’s dog pound. In years past, animals were destroyed after residing in the pound a set period, typically a week. Today some animals may live in the Shelter for nearly a year awaiting adoption. Those destroyed are unadoptable for various reasons, such as sickness or aggression. Adult pit bulls are particularly difficult to adopt.

Many of the cats that enter the Shelter are feral cats, what grandma called “those dang barn cats.” Feral cats are those that are living wild in abandoned buildings, brush piles or sheds. Being wild, they don’t socialize well and are often diseased. It is not uncommon for an individual to drop off a crate filled with such cats. Although they are cared for, most must ultimately be destroyed.

To combat the persistent feral population in the city, Animal Control uses a trapping program. When the weather is fit, i.e., not too cold, live traps are set to capture the felines. Animal Control relies on citizen complaints to identify where to place the traps.

In addition to feral cats, Animal Control responds to numerous types of citizen complaints – barking dogs, dog bites, dogs and cats destroying landscaping, pets kept in unsanitary conditions, and of course vicious dogs. Often, they are called to assist the police by removing dogs from crime scenes. Animal Control also picks up several dozen dead or injured animals from city streets every year. Often, when responding to pets kept in unsanitary conditions, they try to first educate the homeowner on proper care.

With more than two animals a day entering the system, Animal Control is kept busy. The Shelter is small and will need more inside space in the future. In 2018 a roof was installed over their outside kennels, which helps with animal and employee safety. A large dog park has been added to provide space to exercise the animals. This year the outdoor kennel area will receive new pavement, improved drainage, and new commercial grade kennels.

Adopting a pet from the Shelter is relatively inexpensive; $65.00 for a dog, which includes a $40.00 voucher to help with the cost to spay or neuter the animal. The fee for a cat is $45.00 and $40.00 for a kitten; both charges include a $30.00 spay or neuter voucher.

New this year is a microchip tag program. For a small additional fee of $10.00, a microchip tag will be inserted under the animal’s skin, which will allow the shelter to identify the owner in the future. The owner also has the option to register the animal on a nationwide pet database.

Although Animal Control receives calls about wild animals, raccoons, possums, foxes, and the like, they are not trained or licensed to trap these animals. In these cases, they refer the caller to a wildlife expert such as Gator’s Critters.

Someone from Animal Control is on call at all times, and in a typical year, each employee may log 80 or more hours of overtime responding to after hour complaints. Because of Animal Control’s limited staff, the city police department provides some assistance when they can. After hours, a police officer often checks out a situation before the on-call person is dispatched.

Fortunately, the Shelter receives a great deal of help from the community. They receive a lot of donations from different organizations as well as youth in the city. Some volunteer time to help socialize and exercise the animals in the Shelter. There is a continuing need for dog and cat food, cat litter, cleaning supplies, and blankets, towels, and bedding. If you would like to help, please call Animal Control at 812-254-8226.

You can find more information on the city’s website https://www.washingtonin.us/

Many thanks to the employees of the Animal Control Department for keeping Washington a great place to live.

David Dahl