Animal Control Officer

You've probably seen those TV cop shows that feature the grizzled veteran officer who's been teamed with the fresh-faced rookie. At the beginning of the series, the old-timer is impatient and constantly critical, and the newcomer is eager but intimidated. By the end, the veteran and rookie have formed a partnership. A similar story line is going on at the Danville-Boyle County Animal Shelter, minus the police badges and donuts, and absent the impatience and constant criticism.

Those who barked at the county's proposed dog ordinance may want to calm themselves now that County Attorney Daryl Day has rewritten parts of the ordinance that Lincoln Fiscal Court will consider on second and final reading Tuesday. "Some changes needed to be made to the ordinance," said Magistrate David Faulkner. "No one wants to destroy a family pet. " Mr. Day eliminated a controversial section of the ordinance that would have allowed euthanasia of healthy dogs, licensed or unlicensed, that go unclaimed for five days after being removed by an animal-control officer.

Lincoln County Sheriff Curt Folger called Animal Control Officer Lee Hodge into the sheriff's office last week to "account for his badge," essentially dismissing the volunteer. But Mr. Hodge has no hard feelings. In an interview yesterday, Mr. Hodge had nothing but praise for the support that Sheriff Folger had given him in his short tenure as animal control officer, and spoke hopefully about the new dialogue established between the nascent Humane Society and the Fiscal Court.

After arriving at work and finding an opossum at the front door, a Centre College Bookstore employee tried another entrance but triggered the burglar alarm, summoning police. Danville police officers Jay Newell and Scott Cavazos have cornered drunks, burglars and even armed gunmen during their careers, but on Tuesday morning they found themselves face to snout with a different kind of criminal - or critter, to be more precise. About 9:45 a.m. an employee at the Centre College Bookstore on South Third Street attempted to enter the store but was stunned to find an opossum hanging out near the door, Newell said.

LIBERTY - The first step toward getting an animal shelter in Casey County was made Monday night when Fiscal Court agreed to apply for grant funds to pay for the proposed project. The court passed a resolution to develop an animal shelter and apply for grant funds. It also authorized Judge-Executive Ronald Wright to apply for grant funds and sign all necessary documents relating to the project. This action came after Kirk Kelly, executive director of Casey Animal Rescue Enforcement, asked the court and the city of Liberty to assist in the establishment of an animal shelter to help rid the county of stray domestic animals.

Ray Allen Stipe, 79, husband of Ida Katherine Becknell Stipe of, Short Shun Road, died Sept. 24, at his home after a long illness. He was a member of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, a former employee of Canada Dry and a former Animal Control Officer. He was born June 1, 1928, son of the late Raymond and Nellie B. Goss Stipe. Additional survivors include a daughter, Elizabeth Ann Stipe Watts and husband Lester Watts, brother, Billy Howard Stipe, nieces, Darlene Beth Tyler and Linda Cloud and nephew, Jimmy Stipes.

HARRODSBURG - Mem-bers of the Mercer County Fiscal Court approved a road plan submitted by the state highway department when the court met Tuesday morning. Stuart Goodpaster of the District 7 office of the state Transportation Cabinet told the court that his office expects Mercer County to receive $581,700 for the Rural Secondary Road Program. Goodpaster said about $347,444 will go to the maintenance of the 96 miles of roads in Mercer County that the state maintains. In addition, $220,394 will go toward individual projects, the first of which will be the resurfacing of about three miles on Ky. 1160 at a cost of $127,462.

A call from a concerned neighbor Tuesday alerted The Interior Journal to a case of suspected animal abuse. The caller suggested that the house at 216 Logan Trail in Stanford had been abandoned and that at least one animal had been chained outside and left to die of starvation or dehydration. The caller suggested that the dog was last seen on its feet Sunday but hadn't been fed or watered this month and was dead hanging from a back porch. Upon investigation, the allegation proved to be accurate when an IJ reporter discovered one dog dead with its chain entangled in some shrubs and another, nearly blind, chained to a dog house; neither appeared to have access to food or water.

The Pets of the Week are Frannie and Tanner. Their coloring makes them the perfect pair for Halloween! Frannie is a darling little Jack Russell mix with a very sweet personality. She is 1 year old, weighs just 16 pounds and has beautiful markings in caramel and white. Frannie is pretty calm for a Jack and she is one of the most loving girls at the shelter. She gets along well with other dogs and was brought in by an animal control officer as a stray. Tanner is a handsome guy with a loving personality.

LIBERTY - The Casey County dog warden has been certified as an animal control officer. Ricky Luttrell, who has been picking up and housing stray dogs and cats for the past several years, attended training last week, Judge-Executive Ronald Wright told Fiscal Court on Monday night. After the certification was announced, Wright's suggestion to increase Luttrell's salary by $200 per month to $9,683 per year was approved by the court. Luttrell is responsible for picking up strays and housing them for a five-day period before they are adopted or destroyed.

Did you know that the week of April 8 through April 14 is designated as National Animal Control Officer Appreciation Week? The event is designed to recognize the hard work performed by animal control agencies throughout the country and helps improve the image of these hard-working employees who provide quality services, education training and support. The week is set aside to recognize the men and women of animal control who risk their lives and spend huge amounts of personnel resources, including time away from family and friends, while serving the public.

LANCASTER - After rescuing more than a dozen horses from a farm in Garrard County, the president of Buckland Equine Rescue plans to file a criminal complaint against the director of Garrard County Animal Control. Chris Takacs claims Earlene Harris used her authority to sell four of the horses rescued from a farm on Jack Turner Way on Feb. 27. Takacs met Tuesday with a victim's advocate at the Garrard County Attorney's Office to fill out an affidavit, a sworn statement explaining his recollection of events.

Animal-cruelty charges were filed Monday morning against a Nicholasville man in the case of a chihuahua-mix dog found in a garbage bin last week. The dog, whose name is Sable, was found in a Dumpster at the Helmsdale Apartment complex Sept. 25 with a wound consistent with an attack by a larger animal. Sable is in the care of a local veterinarian and is expected to recover. Franklin May of Nicholasville called the animal shelter on Wednesday, Sept. 26, and came to the shelter Thursday, Sept.

It was not the first time dogs had been stolen from the humane society but efforts since an early January theft may have guaranteed it will be the last. Dan Turcea said after the last theft he could not recall exactly how many times dogs had been stolen in the 14 years he has been director of Boyle County Animal Control, but that it had been at least twice recently. He also said at that time that the offices he shares with Danville/Boyle County Humane Society had been broken into at least three times with money and “vet items” stolen before an investment in a security system solved that problem.

When I taught the 4-H dog program about 10 years ago, I occasionally was asked the types of work or careers available for someone interested in small pets and in particular dogs. At that time, I gave a short list of possible careers in animal science.  In the January 2011 issue of Dog Fancy magazine, Maryann Mott gives a more varied list of possibilities. As you'd expect, my list started with veterinarian, a professional Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, taking a number of years in school before being able to practice.

Editor's note: Taken from the Danville 911 records, the Police Blotter represents a history of the initial calls and the information used by the dispatcher to send officers to investigate complaints. It is not necessarily an indication of what the officer found upon arrival at the scene, or of how the complaint may have been dealt with. AUGUST 2 12:31 a.m., vehicle stopped at bypass and Citation Drive; arrest made. 4:46 a.m., caller from Perkins Avenue has advised a female stole his Social Security and Medicare cards; officer advised him to call the county attorney; Danville Police Department will not be doing a report in reference to circumstances of the call.

It’s election campaign season, and you don’t need a calendar to tell you that. All you need is a radio, television, newspaper or the Internet. They all carry ads, commercials and interviews that are full of political promises chock full of time-worn sayings, clichés and adages. Examples include such things as, “I will bring fiscal responsibility back to (fill in the blank with such places as Danville, Frankfort and Washington, D.C.),” and, “I will work tirelessly on behalf of each and everyone of my constituents (especially the ones who have given money to my campaign)

You've probably seen those TV cop shows that feature the grizzled veteran officer who's been teamed with the fresh-faced rookie. At the beginning of the series, the old-timer is impatient and constantly critical, and the newcomer is eager but intimidated. By the end, the veteran and rookie have formed a partnership. A similar story line is going on at the Danville-Boyle County Animal Shelter, minus the police badges and donuts, and absent the impatience and constant criticism.

One person's unwanted puppy may be another person's new pet. At least, that's what Lucy hopes. Lucy is an 8- to 10-week-old, black pit bull mix puppy that was dumped Friday evening in the CVS parking lot at the corner of South Second and West Walnut streets. She now has a new, albeit temporary, home at the Danville-Boyle County Humane Society Animal Shelter. "About 7 p.m. Friday, Danville police dispatch received a call from an employee at CVS who said they had just seen somebody in a red car stop in the parking lot and put a puppy out on the blacktop and drive away," Dan Turcea, executive director of the shelter, said this morning.