Sound Off: What do you do about lost or stray dogs from ... / LJWorld.com

Sound Off

Megan Gilliland, the city’s communications manager, provided this answer: The city employs three animal control officers who staff the division seven days a week, eight to 12 hours a day. Additional on-duty hours are covered by the staff on Fridays from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., city holidays excluded. If there is only one officer on duty, the duty hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There is an officer on call during off-duty hours for emergency situations. Contact dispatch, 832-7509, to report an animal at-large.

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superswagg56 7 months ago

What do we do about whiners who have NO LIFE from 12:00am to 12:00pm Monday through Sunday?

somebodynew 7 months ago

Well, don't ask Megan. Unless you want a rambling, polical no-speak answer.

Topple 7 months ago

How was that a no-speak answer? She said they have staff 7-days a week...

somebodynew 7 months ago

Sorry, I was being snarky over some of her recent answers (like yesterday).

kernal 7 months ago

Obviously there wasn't anyone on duty during the week-end the submitter called Animal Control, otherwise this question wouldn't have been submitted. Several times over the years I've also called Animal Control on a week-end about a stray or injured dog and was told they don't work week-ends. When did they add staff to cover week-end days?

catherine99 7 months ago

I thought there were 30 animal control officers working 24/7. My dog who likes to sneak out and run with the wind has been nabbed a dozen times. I wish they had less staff - it's cost me a fortune.

smitty 7 months ago

Maybe, instead, there are 30 neighbors that are p-offed at you over your dog. The neighbors are reporting your dog's off leash activity to animal control, most likely.

Topple 7 months ago

Yea, I'd report your dog for running loose, too. Maybe invest that fortune in fixing how your dog sneaks out.

Bill Hoyt 7 months ago

Mmmmm, tacos.

oldbaldguy 7 months ago

.22 shorts work well too.

jhawkinsf 7 months ago

People who think being cruel to animals is funny are sick. Rocks, ammo., Kansas River, .22. etc. Sick.

Liberty275 7 months ago

That's how Jeffery Dahmer git his start.

consumer1 7 months ago

Question: What do you do about lost or stray dogs from 5 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Monday when no one in animal control is working? Why can’t there be someone on duty to come pick up an animal when they need to be picked up?

Better Question: What do you do about pet owners whose animals get loose because they don't take precautions to ensure their beloved pet are kept secure and safe? Why can't there be someone on duty to go around and make sure each pet owner is not an idiot, who shouldn't own a pet if they are incapable of keeping it secure and safe????

Another question: If a dog is vicious and hurts people and other pets. Is a bullet to the head cruel? What about the person or pet who was attacked by the vicios animal? Where do their rights go?

gatekeeper 7 months ago

If a dog is vicious and hurts others, it's because the owners suck and didn't train their dog. Penalize the people, not the dog. Dogs can be trained. Even Vicks fighting pits were trained and get to live our their lives now.

Liberty275 7 months ago

Some breeds can be more violent. A bite from a collie is not the same as one from a chow. Collies bite and run, Chows don't let go. I think that is what people mean when they say "vicious", but as you say, dogs have to be taught to be vicious.

superswagg56 7 months ago

You are a real piece of work!! An amazing human being . I'll bet your Family and Friends are SO PROUD!!

kawrivercrow 7 months ago

Yes, it is perfectly appropriate to euthanize dogs who show persistent biting and/or attack behavior. It happens all the time in the veterinary and animal control world. Look at it this way; there are simply more animals than there are adequate animal owners and whether we like it or not, animals will be euthanized for lack of placement. Given that inescapable fact (and no-kill shelters are nothing more than a shell game), doesn't it make sense to euthanize the proven dangerous dog and let the dog with a clean record live? I guarantee you today some place in KS a sweet lab/setter mix got gassed while some numbnuts with a vicious pitbull mix is defending their dog's 'poor, misunderstood nature' and right to exist despite being a threat to others.

oldbaldguy 7 months ago

no I don't. running loose dogs are a problem, for the dog, the neighborhood and the driver of the vehicle that hits one. if you are out in the county, chasing livestock is a big problem. my dog used to get out all the time. i installed an electric field fence. it works great.

Liberty275 7 months ago

Here's an idea. Catch the dog, call the animal shelter and leave your number and walk it around the neighborhood, If the dog wants to go into a yard, it is probably his house. Knock on the door and ask. Continue until dogs house is found.

consumer1 7 months ago

There is this thing called a job... some of us don't have the luxury of sitting around the house all day hitting the bong, waiting for fido next door to stray. Much less try to catch the dog, then walk it around until it finds it's way home. Too many movies have been watched, and less reality has been experienced.

Liberty275 7 months ago

I do my 40 hours, so don't be preachy. I don't stand around looking for dogs, but when I find a stray I'll try to save my neighbors the cost and anxiety of having to deal with animal control.

That's what neighbors do.

kawrivercrow 7 months ago

That's the most naive thing I've heard since something about the Easter Bunny.

patkindle 7 months ago

oopsie, poopsie got loose................. so sad,..............i dont feel sorry for some ignoramus that feels the need to be a pet owner, but wont accept the responsibility of owning one, they only blame the pet , when it is thier fault it does not behave. they proabably blame the school for their kids being ill behaved, and mcdonalds for making them fat

Liberty275 7 months ago

Our dog got out once. We were to blame for not having the fence locked. A cable guy came in our fence, the chow came out the dog door and I imagine the cable guy ran like heck.

We don't have to keep our gate locked because of thieves but because people don't believe the "beware of dog" sign.

kawrivercrow 7 months ago

I am a dog lover, but rest assured, if your chow gets out on the street and threatens me or others (especially children) off of your own private property, I will neutralize him on the spot. I work with large groups of dogs on a regular basis. I know the signs to watch for in a dog on the verge of attack and my margin of safety falls on the behalf of the human.

Of course, If your loose dog does bite somebody in my presence, you will be getting a 'shih tzu' as well as a 'doggy bag'.

geoismeo 7 months ago

Ooh KAWRIVERCOW, you sound so tough. We are all so impressed by your tough words. Wank.

shanep 7 months ago

Just because someones dog gets loose doesn't mean they are a negligent or poor pet owner mistreating their dog. It also doesn't make the dog vicious or poorly trained. They are dogs, I don't know about yours, but my old hound dog will take just about any opportunity to go explore the neighborhood. How about being a little more understanding folks? It's not ok to shoot or otherwise harm someones dog just because it found its way loose! Also, weekend is not hyphenated. It's just the weekend.

none2 7 months ago

The problem with your post is it contains too much common sense as well as too much hope for compassion...

Some people are so sure that a pet is a wild animal waiting to kill for food and/or protection. I have to admit that I'm not to comfortable with pit bulls given the stories we all hear. Nevertheless, in all my decades not once has a barking nor growling dog ever even tried to attack me. I always figured my secret is that I simply ignore (no eye contact) and pass on by. I could be wrong, but my gut feeling is that they know I'm not a threat to their owners nor their territory, so they leave me alone.

GUMnNUTS 7 months ago

Does the guy with the button have the day off?

patkindle 7 months ago

it is easy to own a pet , and not accept responsibility for it. blame it on the weather. if a dog gets loose, it is because the owner desnt care enough for it to keep track of it, but folks let their kids run wild, why not thier pets, let some one else care for them ...i particually dislike the folks that let their dog bark for hours on end, what a nuisance, all they ever say is,,WHAT?

Liberty275 7 months ago

The dogs are probably saying they don't like you.

After 9 years in the same house with dogs, one person complained about them barking. It never came to anything because his wife caught him cheating and tossed him out.

rockchalker52 7 months ago

WOOF!

wilson42 7 months ago

Strays always seem to wonder up to our house, maybe because we own dogs and they can tell we love animals. We always make sure and go above and beyond to find the owner. We work full time but we've even kept one over night and kept searching until we found it's loving owner which was a handicapped man who was very greatful that we had found his best friend. Just because a dog gets loose doesn't mean the owner is not doing everything they can think of to keep it from getting out. Our labs love to run just like all labs do. If they get out we figure out where they got out and fix it, but they love to try to find a new way out.

bearded_gnome 7 months ago

ummmm, ... back to the original question ...

the answer has a problem in it, "on call for emergencies" for the holidays and off-times.

"emergencies almost certainly don't include simple "dog at large."

now, if you've got a big long ugly black snake in your attic, that's another story ...

so, LJW, what does the wisdom of the appropriate authorities tell us to do with a dog at large at those times when they won't call in the on-call animal control officer?!?

please don't just shoot or abuse a dog you see loose.

if you can't help return him or her to the hopefully loving home where owners are missing him or her, then contact the shelter, they're good people there.

my dog is not a service animal, but he is most definitely a family member and beloved. he contributes much to our family and he does some jobs. if you hurt him, you hurt me.

people who enjoy cruelty to animals need to get help anyway.

roadwarrior 7 months ago

Here's what you do...ready ? you give them water, food, a warm place to curl up and maybe a toy to chew on and cuddle up with. Offer them comfort and acceptance and train yourself to stop being a selfish little twit. geez.

none2 7 months ago

A bit off topic...

I want to commend the man in a silver pickup who picked up a cat who had been ran over. About a couple of weeks ago westbound traffic on 6th between Kasold and the road just east of HyVee was moving really slowly. It turned out that up ahead there had been a black cat who had been ran over. This gentleman got out, stopped traffic, and went across all the lanes to pick that cat up. I seriously doubt the cat survived the night, but the fact that this man picked it up with his own bare hands and held it, and put it in his pickup tells me that he is an example of the best in human kind. Thank you. I'm sure that cat and whomever was his/her owner would have also been forever grateful for that random act of kindness.

Now back on topic...

I agree with roadwarrior. Why is it that some cannot seem to function unless there is a governmental entity to take care of their needs? Has society gotten so lazy and/or calloused that we expect our government to be a good Samaritan on our behalf? Unless the animal was a acting mean or like it might have a disease such as rabies, I don't see why someone cannot see that the animal is taken care of at the moment of need.

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