By Mike Sherfy, KnoxPages.com reporter
MOUNT VERNON – Dog Warden John Carhart met with the County Commissioners on Thursday to fill them in on activities at in his office and at the dog shelter.
As of Thursday afternoon, only twenty dogs were housed in the county shelter. Four of these have already been adopted or accepted by a rescue organization and one of the other inmates is involved in an open court case and unavailable for adoption. Carhart noted that this was the smallest number of animals under his care since 2013. This affords officers and volunteers an opportunity to clean. “It’s not a new building anymore and we have the opportunity to really wipe it down from ceiling to kennel doors and hinges,” he explained. “It’s not that it was dirty before, but it gets a lot of wear and tear—dogs track things in and out…not to mention us always being dirty and filthy from being in the muck and the mire.”
Carhart noted, however, that it would not take much to change things. An economic downturn, for example, would easily bring shelter numbers up to their previous high levels.
Knox County Animal Control officers issued four citations last month to owners for failing to confine their dogs. They issued four summons to owners for failing to register their pets and Carhart noted that registration of Knox County’s dogs would remain a priority in the coming year.
Carhart reported that 34 dogs had entered the county shelter during November, 24 of which were strays. During the same month, 43 dogs left the facility—including 16 adoptions, nine dogs returned to their owners, and eleven transfers to other rescue facilities. Seven dogs were euthanized during November. Two dogs exhibited aggression toward humans and other dogs and had been surrendered by the owner to be euthanized and another elderly and ailing dog was surrendered by its owner to be euthanized. One dog brought to the shelter after it had been struck by a car had to be put down because of a broken back. Three other dogs were diagnosed with terminal cancer and were also euthanized.
Commissioner Thom Collier noted that he had recently attended a County Commissioners’ Conference and that many counties had begun equipping their deputies with catch-poles. He asked Warden Carhart if he thought it would be useful in Knox County. “It’s not a bad idea,” Carhart responded “The deputies or police officers may not like it too much because that puts them in a position where they have the tool of the trade, now they might have to use it.” “If you are dealing with a dog,” he added, “you really want to have something in your hand, especially if it is an aggressive or potentially dangerous dog. Even if it’s a metal clipboard or a flashlight. But preferably a catch-pole since you can actually fend the dog off even while you are trying to catch it….and a four-footer would fit right into the trunk of their cruiser.”
“I think that law enforcement is becoming dog-centered, as people start using dogs as ‘protection’ for meth labs and things like that.” Commissioner Collier said. “I think that would be handy for them to use instead of having to resort immediately to their service weapon.”
“Definitely, it would be useful then,” Carhart replied. “We’ve actually had a couple of ‘meth dog’ seizes…and it can be tough.”
Carhart agreed to look into the cost of catch-poles and told the commissioners he would discuss the matter with others to see what they think. He pointed out that collaboration already happened on a regular basis. “The deputies can enforce any regulation in the Ohio Revised Code,” he stated, “including ours.” The Sheriff’s office had also provided Carhart’s officers with surplus radios so that they would not need to rely exclusively on cell phones for communication. Warden Carhart said that he had already provided the Mount Vernon Police Department with a catch-pole “just to have around”.
Commissioner Collier suggested that purchasing catch-poles for the Sheriff’s Department and other police departments might be something to consider when applying for grants.
“It’s a valuable tool all the way around,” agreed Carhart.
Carhart presented the County commissioners with an itemized report listing the name of each dog in the facility along with the circumstances that brought them there and the duration (thus far) of their stays. While some dogs had become long-term residents (one has been at the shelter for more than six months), the average length of time any dog spent in the facility was about 45 days.
The shelter is featuring two dogs for adoption during December: Max, a 56-pound, six year old, male Chow mix and Jibber, a 44-pound, three year old, male terrier mix.
Jibber Max
The cost to adopt these featured dogs—and perhaps some of the shelter’s other long-term detainees—is $50 and includes all the services of a normal adoption from the shelter. Standard adoption fees are $120 and include spaying/neutering, a rabies vaccination, a heartworm test, a microchip, the first batch of DHPP shots (for distemper, hepatitis, parvo, and parainfluenza), and a bordatello shot (for kennel cough). “You can’t hardly walk into a vet shop for less than $120,” added Warden Carhart. “It’s actually a heckuva deal if you are adopting a dog from us.”
Warden Carhart also wanted to remind Knox County dog-owners that failing to register dogs violates Ohio Revised Code Section 955.21. All dogs three months of age or older must be licensed and no dog shall be harbored, kept, or owned without displaying a valid registration tag. Failure to register a dog can result in substantial fines and penalties. Dog registration can be done at the Knox County Auditor’s Office or via the Auditors website (http://www.knoxcountyauditor.org/).
