Advisory Board

Next Meeting

The next scheduled meeting of The Glynn County Animal Services Board is to be held

At Glynn County Animal Services at 4765 U.S. 17 N. on Wednesday 19th Oct 2005

The public is invited to Attend.

George's Birthday Wish for the Animals

Sharon Dyer's son was asked what he wanted for his birthday, he told his mother that instead of presents they should donate a gift to Animals Services. Here is George with all the gifts for the Animals. We greatly appreciate what George has done and I know the animals do too.

Wardens will make arrests

March 09, 2004

By KAREN SLOAN

The Brunswick News

An untimely end for a 7-week-old pit bull puppy was averted thanks in part to the involvement of Brunswick Animal Control officer Tommy Dixon Monday.

The puppy was tied to a water spigot with a leash in the yard of a city home and had wrapped itself around the spigot so tightly that it couldn't move.

"The collar was on so tight that we had trouble getting the scissors in to cut it off," said Dixon. "It's a really beautiful dog, [but] unfortunately, we see situations like this all the time."

While Dixon had enough evidence of neglect to seize the dog, he will require the involvement of a city police officer in order to press charges against the owner of the dog for animal cruelty or neglect.

Getting police involved in animal cruelty and neglect cases is a hurdle Glynn County Animal Control personnel no longer have to overcome. Last week, the county commission voted unanimously to change the ordinance to allow them to investigate and bring charges against pet owners who break the law.

Now, when Animal Control receives a complaint of cruelty or neglect in the county, it can send one of its own people to deal with the situation without having to pull police away from their other duties.

Animal Control Director Marcia Stewart, who offered the ordinance change to the commission, said it was necessary in order for authorities to deal with the growing number of people and pets in Glynn.

"Right now, the police respond to these calls when we ask them to, but we can alleviate that burden. It also gives us the opportunity to interact and educate some pet owners that simply don't know any better," said Stewart.

The changed ordinance will give Animal Control employees the chance to work with pet owners to fix neglect situations instead of seizing animals or citing residents.

If pet owners don't comply, Animal Control can file charges against them in Magistrate Court without a police officer arresting them. A judge can then order the animals removed from the home and levy a $1,000 fine against the owner. The court also can sentence the person charged to jail for up to 60 days.

Animal Control receives an average of three to four reports a week of animal neglect and abuse often from well-meaning neighbors who notice a dog tied up with no water or on a short chain.

"When people would call to report this stuff, we would just have to tell them to call the police department," said Stewart. "There was just nothing that we could do. Even though it means that we have more work to do, it's good to know that we can deal with these things ourselves."

Often a visit from a Animal Control employee is all that's needed for the pet owner to understand what conditions must be met for his pet.

Both Stewart and Dixon have undergone training and are certified in animal cruelty investigations. While Dixon can legally investigate animal cruelty cases in the city, he still must work with police officers to bring charges against pet owners.

Dixon said he hopes the city will adopt an ordinance similar to the new county ordinance, so he, too, can bring criminal charges against pet owners who violate the law.

NOT ALL HEROES ARE PEOPLE

James Crane worked on the 101st floor of Tower 1 of the World Trade Center. He is blind so he has a golden retriever named Daisy. After the plane hit 20 stories below, James knew that he was doomed, so he let Daisy go, out of an act of love. She darted away into the darkened hallway. Choking on the fumes of the jet fuel and the smoke James was just waiting to die. About 30 minutes after, Daisy comes back along with James' boss, who Daisy just happened to pick up on floor 112. On her first run of the building, she leads James, James' boss, and about 300 more people out of the doomed building. But she wasn't through yet, she knew there were others who were trapped. So, highly against James' wishes she ran back in the building. On her second run, she saved 392 lives. Again she went back in. During this run, the building collapses. James hears about this and falls on his knees into tears. Against all known odds, Daisy makes it out alive, but this time she is carried by a firefighter. "She led us right to the people, before she got injured" the fireman explained. Her final run saved another 273 lives. She suffered acute smoke inhalation, severe burns on all four paws, and a broken leg, but she saved 967 lives. The next week, Mayor Guilaini rewards Daisy with the Canine medal of Honor of New York. Daisy is the first civilian Canine to win such an honor.

I hope you enjoyed this story. I thought it was terrific .

ANIMAL COPS IN ACTION PATROL THE BEAT.

GEORGIA TIMES UNION STORY TELLS IT ALL.