Lodi Animal Services Officer Brena Schweitz fills out a citation for an unlicensed pit bull when checking on the dog's litter Wednesday in Lodi. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)

Reporting a loose or stray animal in area? What happens depends on where you live

Lodi Animal Services Officer Brena Schweitz heads to a house in an Eastside neighborhood to check on a female pit bull and her nine puppies, born on July 11. A neighbor had complained about barking at the house.

The couple living there took Schweitz to the back of the house where the puppies were sleeping inside a cage and the mother was kept outside. Schweitz was satisfied with what she saw, especially since the couple didn't plan to keep all nine puppies.

The same day, Schweitz checked on a report of a dog that appeared to be malnourished. She made other calls, mostly to make welfare checks. There weren't any problems with vicious dogs or uncooperative owners that day, but Schweitz wasn't too concerned anyway. She feels safe in her job because if she needs any backup help, Lodi police officers are just a few minutes away.

But quick police backup isn't the case among San Joaquin County Animal Control officers who patrol mostly rural areas like Lockeford, Clements, Acampo, Woodbridge, Thornton and Morada.

County officers said they feel so unsafe that they voted last week to stop responding to calls nights and weekends until they feel safe enough to return. They will continue to work between 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays.

However, Animal Control Director Ernest Molieri ordered his officers to respond nights and weekends, so they returned to work. Mark Hall, work site organizer for Service Employees International Union, said union officials want to make sure officers have a job and not be considered insubordinate.

Officers feel unsafe

County officers say they feel unsafe when they go out on calls because they are not equipped properly or trained in weapons use. Officers also maintain that the dispatch system is inadequate.

On July 29, the Board of Supervisors directed county Agricultural Commissioner Scott Hudson to work with county Sheriff Steve Moore to see what can be done to improve safety and dispatch issues. Hudson said he hoped to provide a recommendation to the board at the Aug. 12 meeting.

A pit bull puppy peeks out of its cage Wednesday afternoon at a home in Lodi. The puppy was in a litter of nine that were checked on by the city of Lodi's Animal Services. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)

County officials on Wednesday ordered officers to respond nights and weekends. Since Wednesday night, officers responded to seven calls at night and during the weekend, according to county spokeswoman Karen McConnell.

Although officers say they have tried to address safety, training, equipment and dispatching issues for as long as eight years, things came to a head on July 1, when officer Gerald Eques was mauled by a pit bull dog in east Stockton. Eques was severely bitten in the stomach and arm, missed several days of work and remained on light duty this week.

"It can happen to anyone. That's the risk we take with this kind of job," said Jennifer McCollum, a registered veterinary technician at the city of Stockton's Animal Shelter. "We handle animals every day who are aggressive."

Nevertheless, McCollum said she believes the Stockton officers have a good comfort level because of their training and backup by Stockton police.

Dianne Barney, Lodi's animal services supervisor, also feels safe, though there are some properties her officers won't respond to without an actual police officer as backup.

Tracy Animal Services Supervisor Ben Miller echoed similar sentiments.

"We haven't had any issues regarding safety," Miller said. "You're never really alone when you have the police department."

Rural areas

It's a lot different for rural areas surrounding Lodi. San Joaquin County, which serves unincorporated areas, has seven animal control officers, but one is on medical leave and another is on light duty. That leaves only five officers to respond to calls from Liberty Road in the north end of the county to areas south and west of Tracy.

Lodi and nearby cities operate under the auspices of the police department, while the county is part of the Agricultural Commissioner's Office. County animal control officers do not work directly with the Sheriff's Department.

Schweitz understands her county counterparts' plight.

"Their backup is a half-hour away; mine is three minutes," Schweitz said.

In Galt, animal calls are handled differently. The city contracts for animal control services with Sacramento County, but the shelter is a half-hour away on Bradshaw Road. Therefore, Galt police officers often respond to animal calls, even if it's a pit bull or another out-of-control animal, police Sgt. Ed Arlt said.

If a county officer is needed, a Galt police officer will either bring the animal to the police station, where they have some cages, or wait at the scene until the county officer arrives, Arlt said.

"They may be 30 or 40 minutes away, clear up at the other end of the county or busy on other animal calls," Arlt said. "We're kind of an island out here in the bottom of the county."

Sacramento County's Animal Care and Licensing is an independent county department that not only responds to unincorporated communities, but contracts with the cities of Galt, Isleton, Folsom and Citrus Heights.

Officers have beats

During the day, Animal Care officers are divided into beats like the police and sheriff's departments, said Pat Claerbout, Sacramento County Animal Care director. She always has at least one officer to cover Galt, Herald, Wilton and rural areas surrounding Elk Grove.

Sacramento County has animal care officers on duty on three shifts, with officers on call only from midnight to 6 p.m. There are also regular weekend shifts, Claerbout said. There are 21 officers.

When a city or county is on on-call status during a night or weekend, officers respond to fewer calls. Some calls, such as a dead animal on the road, will not be attended to until the next business day. An injured or dangerous animal will get officers' attention.

In Lodi, sometimes a police officer will pick up a dead animal and bring it to the shelter, Barney said. And if there's a barking dog late at night, a police officer will respond and leave a note to the animal shelter the next day.

In Stockton, animal control officers work 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week. None of its officers are on call at night because police officers respond during those hours, McCollum said.

In San Joaquin County, the quality of its dispatching system is a sore point among animal control officers. Lodi, Stockton and Manteca are sent on calls by trained police dispatchers, their counterparts in San Joaquin County who respond to rural calls are dispatched through what officers maintain are an untrained clerical worker during the day and an even less-trained answering service on nights and weekends.

"I got a call for a dead rodent in the middle of the gutter, and that was in the middle of the night," county animal control Officer Toni Griffen told the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors recently.

Sacramento County's dispatch system is a good one, Claerbout said. It's not from the sheriff's department; instead it's from the same people who dispatch public works and similar calls, she said.

Contact reporter Ross Farrow at rossf@lodinews.com.