Appreciating animal control officers

Dear Editor:

The month of April has many special days that people observe. One of the most important ones is the opportunity to thank an animal control officer for being the voice for our animals during ACO Appreciation Week – April 11 through 17.

Animal control officers are the men and women who devote themselves to this sometimes thankless, dangerous and often heart-breaking career with the sole mission of helping our feathered, furred, hoofed, clawed, winged and scaly fellow travelers on this planet. 

Their job is not without peril: animals needing to be removed from abusive environments often turn on the helping ACO – and sometimes so do the humans involved. Then there are the times when ACOs are called to assist police officers in dangerous circumstances.  They’re expected to control vicious animals that are only doing what they’re trained to do:  protect their owners and property, regardless of the fact that the owners are the objects of law enforcement interest with duly authorized legal access. That’s all too often a situation fraught with double-barreled danger.

In addition to all of these challenges, all animal control operations work hard to keep their charges safe and healthy. But, try as hard as they might to find happy homes for the animals they rescue, they’re not always successful, and so it falls to the ACO to deal with that as well.

Thank you, Animal Control Officers, for doing what you do as well and as humanely as you do … I could not do your job, and I thank you for being there for them and our animals.

Sincerely,

David Snider
Pinal County District 3 Supervisor

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