Officer implementing new attack plan to apprehend at-large animals

Published 6:00 am Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Neighborhood dogs beware: Brookhaven Animal Control is nowprowling the streets under the cover of dark, waiting for you totear a hole in that yummy-smelling garbage bag.

Brookhaven Police Chief Pap Henderson said moving Animal ControlOfficer Joe Poole from his previous hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. tothe later shift of 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. is not yet a permanentmove.

“We’ve been thinking about doing this for a while, but we didn’twant to switch up during the holidays,” he said. “But we’ve beenhaving some issues after 4 p.m. and thought we should go ahead anddo it.”

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It’s a possibility after the trial period that Poole could endup working even later, Henderson said. It just depends whetheranimal control complaints go down substantially.

Henderson said people, especially some of the aldermen, hadcomplained that local dogs were out more during the afternoonhours.

“We wanted to address that,” he said. “Pet owners get off workat 4 or 5 and go home and let their animals out. Citizens that walkafter work complain about the loose animals.”

Henderson said people need to know that there are leash laws,and that it’s important to keep their pets contained, whether it beon a leash or in a fence or pen.

While Poole was working during the daytime hours, the overnightofficers were often responding to calls about dogs loose orbarking. There was less concern in the mornings.

Part of the move is about a different strategy as well,Henderson said.

“A lot of these animals we get the complaints on are smart,”Henderson said. “They know that truck. We’re thinking maybe we canget some of the ones we can’t get during the day because they won’texpect it at night.”

And Poole’s interaction with the animals is almost like his BPDcomrades as they apprehend fugitives of the human variety.

“I even talk to them sometimes,” he said. “Those dogs are smart,and they know when I’m coming. They’ll hide.”

He said during the time he’s spent on the later shift, he’s runacross some new loose animals.

“People think I’m off, so they let their animals out at night,”he said.

Henderson said part of expanding his department into theannexation area does eventually include another animal controlofficer. It also has created the need for an expanded dogpound.

“We’re taking on more animals than we were before theannexation,” Henderson said. “We need to expand that facilityhopefully by the spring. A lot of the work that needs to be donecan be done by city workers, so money doesn’t have to be anissue.”

Henderson said he plans to meet with the mayor in the nearfuture to discuss the possibility of pound expansion.

But in the mean time, Poole will be out in the dark of night,waiting to apprehend the miscreant animals who roam the streets insearch of a good trash bag to pulverize.

“We’re on the job,” Henderson said. “It’s a situation we have todeal with and we’re going to deal with it.”