Animal Control Officer

3/17/2013

Introduction
Animal Control Officers are members of law enforcement who are looked upon to protect not only animals from dangerous situations and cruelty but they also protect neighborhoods from strays and hazardous animals. Through my research I took a more in depth look at answering what is the typical profile associated with an Animal Control officer. In 16th century European villages “dog whippers” were charged with keeping dogs out of churches and confining town strays. The part of an Animal Control Officer has changed over the last few decades to meet the needs of rescuing animals from dangerous or abusive situations and investigating any cruelty or neglect. This is a fast rising field that has even grown in popularity, thanks to network television shows like Animal Planet. Animal control officers can hold jobs in health departments, police departments, sheriff’s departments or in parks and recreation departments. They are responsible for implementing and understanding animal rights, laws and regulations.
Duties include but are not limited to:
• Responding to emergency calls involving animals
• Dealing with stray animals
• Investigating incidents with both wild and domestic animals (such as bites)
• Investigating animal cruelty cases
• Dealing with animals in a shelter
• Issuing fines or taking animal owners to court for acts such as those of irresponsibility or violence
• Investigating dog fighting cases
• Protecting both wild and domesticated animals
• Educating people about animals rights
• Documenting all incidences and or cases
Schooling & Cost
A requirement to be an Animal Control Officer varies from state to state, this depends on local or state requirements; states vary with the types of duties the officer will be expected to perform. A bachelor’s degree in criminal justice or animal science would be a good start to becoming a qualified candidate for an animal control officer position. Experience with animals would also prove to be very useful. The cost for most of the schools I found in my research ranged from 20,000 to over 50,000 for a Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice depending on the state.
The Following are the most commonly needed qualifications in order for one to become an Animal Control Officer.
Basic Knowledge Requirements:
• Laws and Regulations - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, administrative orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Skill Set Requirements:
• Active Listening - Giving your full attention to what people are saying and taking time to understand there points being made, asking appropriate questions and not interrupting.
• Critical Thinking - Using judgment and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or methods to complications.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate action.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being responsive of others reactions and understanding why they react the way they do.
Abilities Needed:
• Verbal Comprehension - ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through speaking.
• Verbal Expression - ability to communicate information and ideas when speaking so others will understand.
• Problem Understanding - ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. This does not involve solving the issue, only recognizing there is an issue.
• Inductive Reasoning - ability to combine parts of information to form general directions or conclusions.
• Arm and Hand Steadiness - ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
• Deductive Reasoning - ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers.
• Near Vision - ability to see details at close range.
• Speech Clarity - ability to speak clearly so others understand you.
• Written Comprehension - ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Job Outlook for Animal Control Officers
Because public safety is continually essential, there is a large need for Animal Control officers in all parts of the United States. This makes job opportunities for animal control officers very exceptional. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, Animal Control Officers earn an average salary of about $17,000. Though salaries will vary from state to state, and many depend on the state budgets and funding to pay this salary. Animal control officers who have more experience and education in their resumes are more likely to earn higher wages or salaries. As of 2011, Animal Control Officers working within the United States reported average wages of about $16.00 per hour. The average hourly income for an animal control officer is $15.00. Half of all workers within this occupation reportedly received rates of pay ranging from $12.00 to $20.00 per hour; with the top ten percent of animal control officers reporting wages of $25.00 or more per hour.

Highest Paying states starting Out:

Nevada $48,910 California $46,130 Alaska $41,150 Minnesota $40,560 Washington $39,530 Oregon $38,900 Maryland $38,440

All In a Day’s Work
Animal control officers generally work a 40 hour week, normally Monday through Friday, although they can be assigned evenings and weekends. The work of an Animal Control Officers mostly consists of picking up lost or strays animals as wells as any injured animals and transporting them to an appropriate location, animal shelter, vets. They look for signs of abuse, or abandonment, and they may be granted the authority to write a ticket or a summons to court depending on the state. They may also pick up dead animals which can be messy or extremely smelly to which they transport their carcass to an incinerator to be burned. Sometimes there are calls to rare situations, such as a snake in the closet, a bear in the trash. A lot of animal control officers will work alone, though they can get assistance when needed with larger animals or more dangerous animals. Although some of the work can be quiet heartbreaking at times, there are moments of great rewards and satisfaction, like when animals are saved from dangerous situations or reunited with owners.
Possible Dangers
As in any field of work there are dangers to be careful of. In the field of an Animal Control Officer it can range from retrieving an animal from a dangerous location like a sink hole or a cat in a tree. Not only is the location dangerous for the animal but also for the Officer, as the animal may be afraid or even lash out towards the Officer. The most dangerous is the owners of the animals, for some of pet owners they are not just their pets but more like their own children and there are times when for the safety of the animal an Animal Control officer may be required to take the animal from there owner. This has led to ACO’s being not only being assaulted, but even being killed in the line of duty. On 29 November Roy Marcum, 45 of Sacramento, California was shot and killed while attempting to remove a pet from its owner custody and for some this hit close to home as one ACO John Sorrels Stated. Sorrels explained the dangers of the job. He said it’s not the animals that pose the biggest safety threat. “I would definitely say the people element is harder to deal with, in my own experience. People think of their animals as their children,” Sorrels adds. “And they don’t want to give them up under any circumstance.”
Appendix A: Works Cited
"Careers and Career Information." Career one stop. U. S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, 22 February 2013. Web. 22 Feb 2013. .
Career one stop explores all the areas of and requirements for a desired career as an Animal Control Officer, Salary & Benefits, and Education & Training within this site.

"O*NET Online." One Ton Line. U.S. Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration, 22 February 2013. Web. 22 Feb 2013. .
O*NET is a government base site that covers what an occupation requires with a different mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities, needed in different states. They also describe the day to day aspects of the job and the qualifications and interests of the typical worker.

Rob, Wagner. "Job Description of an Animal Control Officer." eHow. N.p., 7 Mar 2013. Web. 7 Mar 2013. .
Sharp, Richard. "Animal control officers acknowledge dangers, gAnimal-control-officers-acknowledge-dangers-grieve-for-colleague." KCRA. KCRA News, 29 Nov 2012. Web. 10 Mar 2013.

"National and State Salaries for Animal Control Workers ." Salary for Animal Control Workers. Recruiter.com, LLC. Web. 16 Mar 2013. .
Informative website for wages and yearly salaries. Allowed for best comparison to find where the best wages are to start a career as an Animal Control Officer.