There still seems to be a lot of complaining to me about certain towns not taking animal complaints seriously or just plain not taking or going to the complaints.
Since around July, I have been documenting all the calls I have been getting and each time the callers are told what to do and who to call. I don’t know if they have all followed my advice but I would hope that they did. If the advice was not followed, then I would think that the calls were not important enough to begin with and there never was a legitimate complaint. If the complaints were legitimate and no action was taken by the caller, the towns or the Animal Control Officer, then shame on them all.
So once again, follow these directions if you have an animal complaint. If there is an animal attack, bite or threat from any animal, call your police, sheriff or public safety department. If you have any other non-emergency animal complaint such as dogs running loose or barking, cats around your house that you do not own, call your town office during regular hours or your Animal Control Officer, if you have the phone number. If you don’t have the number and it can’t wait for the next workday at the town office, then call your local law enforcement. Once this is done, write down the date, time, who you called and what your complaint is. Then if you would like to give me your note on the call, I will make sure the right people get your complaint so they can follow up on it if need be. If you have any other questions regarding any of the above, you can either call me or email me.
Now for something that is just as important and much more exciting! On Nov. 2, the Ark Animal Sanctuary will be celebrating the opening of their new facility in the town of Houlton at 102 Old Woodstock Road which runs off the White Settlement Road. This will take place between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. So you have plenty of time to show up and give your support.
Once again, thanks for reading and stay vigilant.
Joe Rodweller of Linneus, a certified animal control officer and member of the Maine Animal Control Association, operate Maine Animal Control with his wife Debbie. He can be reached at 538-1347 or via e-mail at debjoe347@yahoo.com.
