Local towns take different approaches to animal control

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By Dan King and Krystle S. Morey

Dogs, and cows, and horses – oh my.

Loose animals are a concern for some local towns, and different towns are taking different approaches to animal control.

Whitehall

The Whitehall Town Board discussed last Wednesday potentially changing the title of Nancy Quell and Ed Holland from “dog control officers” to “animal control officers,” in an effort to stop the increase in large animals roaming around town.

Town Clerk Julie Millett said she had received at least five phone calls from residents about a bull running around town in recent days. Quell and Holland helped State Police “chase the bull around town” and town officials believe the bull to be back with its owner.

Holland said that larger animals have become a growing concern in Whitehall, and he currently receives one or two calls a month for larger animals in that town.

“A lot of times, when you call the state troopers or sheriffs (about animals) they call us,” Holland said.

Quell said of all the towns she covers, Whitehall is the first to consider switching her title to animal control officer.

The animal control officer would only be responsible for domestic animals, not wild animals. Wild animals merit a call to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Granville

Like many towns in the area, Granville hires Quell to deal with loose and dangerous dogs.

“If there is a loose dog in Granville, and if it has a tag, she will try to find the owner,” said Supervisor Matt Hicks. “If she is unable to locate the owner, she will take it to her kennel in Cossayuna.”

The owner of the dog must then pay impound and other fees to retrieve the dog.

Hicks said because several towns in the area have a contractual agreement with Quell, “it may be an idea to eventually have a county dog control officer.”

“It would be much more efficient to have a county dog control officer,” he added.

When it comes to animals other than dogs, from cats to skunks, Hicks said law enforcement steps in. In an instance like Whitehall’s problem bull, it becomes the owner of the bull’s responsibility to retain the at-large animal.

“We haven’t really had an issue with it,” he said. “In the last five years, I can’t think of one instance.”

Hampton

Hampton doesn’t have an animal control officer, just a dog control officer.

“We have very few problems with larger animals,” said Hampton supervisor Dave O’Brien.

O’Brien said he remembers just one time in the past six years that he had to call the Sheriff’s Department for an animal control issue.

For wild animals, Hampton refers to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

“Wild animals are not under our control,” O’Brien said. “We had a problem with rabid skunks twice. That was three and four years ago.”

Hampton’s dog control officer, Larry Carman, who can be reached at 518-926-9753, is kept busy with not just loose dogs, but a growing number of abandoned dogs in the area.

“The number of dogs being abandoned and dumped by people is absolutely sickening,” O’Brien said. “The number goes up as years go by.”

He keeps most of the dogs that are picked up by the town’s dog control officer at town hall for 48 hours.

“Most of them are claimed in that time,” O’Brien said. “Most are picked up in one or two hours.”

O’Brien said he believes the people abandoning the dogs think they can get away with it because Hampton is such a rural town.

Hartford

The town of Hartford, like Whitehall, uses Quell as a dog control officer.

For missing animals, the town has a method that Supervisor Dana Haff calls “Amber Alerts.”

When an animal is reported missing, Haff sends the alert out to a large group of prominent Hartford residents and local media, who share the information via social media to help find the animals. Often, this method yields quick results.

Haff has sent out Amber Alerts for a variety of domestic animals, ranging from dogs to goats and cows. He prefers using that method before getting dog control involved.

“Hartford has lots of large animals, but if one gets out you tell the farmer and he gets it,” Haff said. “We only do dogs because they are the only ones required by the state to be licensed.”

Hebron

Much like Hartford, Hebron doesn’t tend to have too many problems with larger animals.

Supervisor Brian Campbell attributes that to Hebron being a small town with a lot of farmers.

“Most of our town is people who take care of their own animals,” he said. “If one gets out, the farmer will usually notice right away.”

He said the time when larger animals – especially cows – get out most frequently is during apple season.

“Some of the cows will get drunk on apples,” Campbell said with a chuckle.

If a piece of fence is knocked down, and cows notice apples on the other side, that’s when many will wander off their owner’s property, Campbell said.

For dog control, Hebron, like many others towns, uses the services of Quell.

Dresden

Large animals are essentially a non-issue in Dresden, said Supervisor George Gang.

Seldom does he ever receive calls at town hall regarding loose cows, horses or other large animals, he said.

“I get more calls about cats,” Gang said, adding that the town currently only has a dog control officer.

Dresden officials are looking into amending the town’s dog control law.

George Ferguson is the town’s dog control officer. Gang said Ferguson is certified as an animal control officer, but the town uses him for strictly dog control.

“We can’t do anything about domestic animals as far as I know,” Gang said. “With wild animals we’ll tell people to call DEC.”