Animal Control Officer

The Humane Society of Washington County will host the New England Academy of Animal Control Officers in order to bring an animal control officer and animal care technician academy to Hagerstown.  The animal control officer academy will be held Monday, May 6 through Friday, May 10. The animal care technician portion will be held Monday May 13 through Friday, May 17.  There is a separate euthanasia technician certification within the technician...

The Humane Society of Washington County is asking that the County Commissioners hire another animal control officer to help respond to more calls and other increasing duties. Paul Miller, executive director of the Humane Society, made the request during Tuesday's Washington County Commissioners meeting. Miller also asked the commissioners to increase from $38,000 to $50,000 the amount the county spends to provide county residents discounts on the cost of spaying and neutering pets.

When animal control officer Michael Shifflett responded to a call for assistance from field supervisor Evelyn Garrett, he got more than he bargained for. The officers were responding to a neighborhood call to help a kitten that had become trapped in a drain. When the drain hole cover was removed the call became a little more difficult than initially anticipated. The first officer to arrive at the scene was Officer Garrett, who descended into the drain where she found two pipes running in different directions.

SPUD is a fun-loving and very playful Labrador Retriever/Doberman Pinscher Mix. He's between three and four months old and is cute as a button. PET TIP From animal control officer to special events planner to animal protection lobbyist, there are literally hundreds of different career paths to choose from in the field of animal care. Volunteering a few hours a week is a great way to get experience. Call Margaret Rhoads at 301-733-2060 ext. 212 to find out more.

The Berkeley County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday that 115 animals including cats, dogs, birds and an iguana were removed from a residence and grooming business at 83 Van Clevesville Road. An animal-control officer was conducting an investigation at the business when she found multiple animals in or around feces, a sheriff's office news release said. The officer also noticed a smell of urine and other health issues were observed or suspected, the release said. The investigation is continuing, according to the release from Lt. W.A. Johnson.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. -- David Edward Gagey, 71, of 781 Engle Switch Road in Harpers Ferry, W.Va., was indicted this week by a Jefferson County grand jury on more than a dozen counts of child abuse, court records show. Gagey is charged with 11 counts of child abuse resulting in or causing serious bodily injury, two counts of child abuse creating substantial risk of serious bodily injury and one other charge, court records show. The indictment is related to allegations made after Gagey called a Jefferson County animal control officer to complain about a neighbor's dog. The responding officer saw Gagey pull the boy up by his hair, court records show.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - The fox that bit an 8-year-old Martinsburg girl last weekend was rabid, said a Berkeley County Animal Control officer. A Charleston, W.Va., lab told county officials Wednesday, the red fox that bit Desirae Hite on the arm March 26 had rabies, said Animal Control officer Randy Kenny. Desirae and a group of friends were playing in a yard on Fairview Drive when she was attacked by the fox. One of Hite's neighbors shot and killed the fox after the attack, but Kenny said there are still concerns that a second fox seen in the area when Hite was bitten might also have rabies.

Washington County District Court Judge Noel Spence refused to grant probation before judgment Thursday to a man who assaulted an animal control officer who removed his dog from a 100-degree vehicle last summer. Eric R. Younker, 27, of 15435 Dellinger Road, Williamsport, was found guilty of second-degree assault and fined $100. The animal control officer "was clearly doing her duty," Spence said of C. Keller Haden's actions on July 17. "Younker deserves the conviction because of his behavior and his history.

Washington County District Court Judge Noel Spence refused to grant probation before judgment Thursday to a man who assaulted an animal control officer who removed his dog from a 100-degree vehicle last summer. Eric R. Younker, 27, of 15435 Dellinger Road, Williamsport, was found guilty of second-degree assault and fined $100. The animal control officer "was clearly doing her duty," Spence said of C. Keller Haden's actions on July 17. "Younker deserves the conviction because of his behavior and his history.

The Humane Society of Washington County will host the New England Academy of Animal Control Officers in order to bring an animal control officer and animal care technician academy to Hagerstown.  The animal control officer academy will be held Monday, May 6 through Friday, May 10. The animal care technician portion will be held Monday May 13 through Friday, May 17.  There is a separate euthanasia technician certification within the technician...

Honking. For the love of God, Washington County Commissioners, you gotsta amend your anti-noise ordinance to include honking before it's too late. Mark Twain said that comparing a human to a feline elevated the human but “degrades the cat.” I get that same uneasy feeling every time I see a governmental board trying to legislate animals. The humans never come out looking good. And that's what is going to happen here, where the commissioners needed to decide what animal sounds were to fall under the umbrella of a pending noise ordinance.

People must take responsibility for their pets To the editor: I read with great interest the Sunday (July 31) articles beginning on page A1, "Who's In Control?" I also read the column regarding lost animals on a daily basis and follow the stories regarding dog attacks on farm animals. I often watch the TV show "Animal Patrol," not for the sensationalism, but to help me wrap my head around the fact that we, human beings, can say we love our pets, and starve them, allow them to be flea- and tick-infested, dehydrated, tied to a tree in severe weather, frozen to trees, bred all their lives from their first heat never knowing what human touch feels like, thrown out of cars unwanted and allowed to wander aimlessly and confused, hit by cars and left by the side of the road, taught to attack just because their owner thinks it's macho, puppies and kittens acquired only because they're cute, households with pets living in their own feces.

In the wake of a weekend dog attack in which 12 sheep were killed and eight others were injured, some in the agricultural community are renewing calls for tighter rules against unrestrained dogs in Washington County. “Our feeling is that we need to have better restrictions on domestic dogs running around,” said Ronald Leggett, president of the Washington County Farm Bureau. “A leash law, perhaps. Higher fines.” Leggett said he spent several hours Monday with Funkstown-area farmer Joseph Frey, who, police say, was chased into a barn Sunday morning by two pit bulls and found much of his flock had been mauled overnight.

The Berkeley County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday that 115 animals including cats, dogs, birds and an iguana were removed from a residence and grooming business at 83 Van Clevesville Road. An animal-control officer was conducting an investigation at the business when she found multiple animals in or around feces, a sheriff's office news release said. The officer also noticed a smell of urine and other health issues were observed or suspected, the release said. The investigation is continuing, according to the release from Lt. W.A. Johnson.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. -- David Edward Gagey, 71, of 781 Engle Switch Road in Harpers Ferry, W.Va., was indicted this week by a Jefferson County grand jury on more than a dozen counts of child abuse, court records show. Gagey is charged with 11 counts of child abuse resulting in or causing serious bodily injury, two counts of child abuse creating substantial risk of serious bodily injury and one other charge, court records show. The indictment is related to allegations made after Gagey called a Jefferson County animal control officer to complain about a neighbor's dog. The responding officer saw Gagey pull the boy up by his hair, court records show.

HAGERSTOWN -- Wednesday was the third straight day a cat was perched in a tree outside Lynda Dominick's home in the Brandywine complex near Hagerstown Community College. On Monday and Tuesday, days 1 and 2, Dominick asked the Humane Society of Washington County to help. She said she was told cats usually come down after about three days. On Wednesday, day 3, Dominick called again, then called The Herald-Mail when she thought the Humane Society wasn't paying enough attention to the problem.

MARTINSBURG, W.VA. - Two Martinsburg residents are accused of abusing a pit bull that was found chained in the attic of a home with open wounds on its nose and mouth, which authorities said Friday had been duct taped shut to keep it from barking. Randall Craig Siford Jr., 34, and Breshannon Leslie Deveraux, 33, both of 252 E. Burke St., were charged with felony counts of animal cruelty, according to police and Berkeley County Magistrate Court records. A $10,000 bond was set for each defendant in arraignment hearings Thursday night and Friday morning by Magistrate JoAnn Overington and Jim Humphrey, according to court records.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- Two Martinsburg residents are accused of abusing a pit bull that was found chained in the attic of a home with open wounds on its nose and mouth, which authorities said Friday had been duct taped shut to keep it from barking. Randall Craig Siford Jr., 34, and Breshannon Leslie Deveraux, 33, both of 252 E. Burke St., were charged with felony counts of animal cruelty, according to police and Berkeley County Magistrate Court records. A $10,000 bond was set for each defendant in arraignment hearings Thursday night and Friday morning by Magistrate JoAnn Overington and Jim Humphrey, according to court records.

When animal control officer Michael Shifflett responded to a call for assistance from field supervisor Evelyn Garrett, he got more than he bargained for. The officers were responding to a neighborhood call to help a kitten that had become trapped in a drain. When the drain hole cover was removed the call became a little more difficult than initially anticipated. The first officer to arrive at the scene was Officer Garrett, who descended into the drain where she found two pipes running in different directions.