By Chris Bavender
The Humane Society for Boone County currently fulfills the role normally provided by an animal control officer, responding to calls from law enforcement, often in the middle of the night, about injured animals and taking strays into their homes, because the county doesn’t have a shelter.
“But we are doing it free of charge to the county and taxpayers,” HSBC President Mike Hancock said. “The need arises in situations like Michelle (Atkinson, director of foster/adoptions) recently encountered where an emergency vet expense will be incurred as a result of law enforcement calling us and requesting our assistance because there is nobody else to call.”
Hancock drafted an open letter to county officials on Facebook asking for help. The letter states if an animal control officer or shelter can’t be offered, the county should consider helping fund vet bills for injured strays and other animals that come into the Humane Society’s care.
“I have the utmost respect for Sheriff (Mike) Nielsen. The first time I asked him about establishing an animal control officer; he looked at me and asked ‘Where will that officer take the animal that gets picked up?’” Hancock said. “He had a point, and I knew that such a position would be dependent on the construction of a physical shelter.”
Land in Whitestown has already been donated to HSBC to build a shelter, and design plans for the new building have been done.
“But the organization wants to raise a lot more money before they build it to make sure they have enough funds to cover operational costs for several years after it opens,” said Tanya Sumner, Whitestown assistant town manager and HSBC volunteer.
Nielsen said his office and HSBC have partnered as advocates for animals for several years and agrees a shelter is needed.
“We recently began the ‘Cuffs and Collars’ program in the jail. This program teams inmates and animals, allowing socialization of animals prior to their adoption benefiting the inmates as well,” Nielsen said. “There is an enormous need for a Humane Society shelter in Boone County. Law enforcement receives weekly calls from citizens regarding abused, neglected and abandoned animals in our county.”
For Atkinson, having an animal control officer would mean a faster response time, allowing officers to get back to “their very important job of keeping Boone County safe.”
“An ACO means I’d have help, as the intake person, and could spend more time with my family, updating the website, and ensuring my fosters have what they need. Oftentimes a call comes in and I have to drop everything to go out,” Atkinson said. “Having a physical shelter would mean we could help more animals, have a physical shelter for people to volunteer, visit, and for kids to learn in.”
Boone County Commissioner Mark Applegate said that while he sees a big need for animal control and appreciates the efforts of HSBC, he doesn’t see funding for an animal control officer or shelter happening in the foreseeable future.
“Maybe at some point in the distant future, but right now our county is growing so fast and there are so many funding needs and so many things we are way behind on – police protection, our jails our bursting at the seams and our roads are falling apart,” Applegate said. “The county is growing so fast and it’s just hard to keep on the needs. At this point I just know it is not a priority.”
The commission couldn’t do anything even if they wanted to, Applegate added, without the county council providing funding and its full support.
Another suggestion for funding, according to HSBC vice president Susan Austin, are the nearly $230,000 in court fees that have accumulated in a county fund.
“For example, a dog that is removed from a home during a domestic comes into our care. There are no funds from officers or prosecutors to cover the care in any way of that animal, but they have asked us to take it. How many animal-related cases has (the prosecutor) taken in fees and fines that have not come to us?” Austin said. “Sometimes it is six months before the disposition of a case, so that is six months of care, six months of flea/heartworm preventative. And, because the animal is not actually owned by us, we are limited to what we can do for the animal, and that puts us in a precarious position.”
Ultimately Austin believes putting funds towards a shelter and animal control officer will take the community demanding the county “become responsible.”
“There needs to be some acknowledgment that we play an important role in law enforcement without being law enforcement and being willing to take care of these animals at a moment’s notice,” she said. “For Michelle to get out of bed to get a dog out of someone’s car who is being arrested for drunk driving. What would they do if we were not there? Leave the dog in the car all night?”
