Animal control officer training impacts dog’s fate after a bite

WFSB 3 Connecticut

BRIDGEPORT, CT (WFSB) – A dog’s fate in our state is not pretty after it has bit a person, but according to one lawyer changing animal control officer training could go a long to way to changing that.

Attorney Thom Page with the law office of Thompson Gould Page said that if your dog were to bite someone, there is a very good chance your pet will be put down.

“The bottom line is that it’s wrong,” said former animal control officer Jimmy Gonzalez.

He worked in that role in the city of Bridgeport for more than seven years. “90% of the calls I went on were dog bites,” explained Gonzalez.

He said his training was very limited on what to do when going out to a dog bite call.

“There are no guidelines. There are no booklets. Everything is self-taught. Discretion is the word. It is really up to the animal control officer’s discretion.” Gonzalez believes there it’s a pretty straightforward process when he arrived to a the scene of a dog bite.

“You ask a couple of questions. You find out who owns the dog, the animal’s situation, if the dog bite happened on the property. If so, the dog gets quarantined there. If not, the dog gets quarantined at an animal shelter. That’s it.”It’s always more complicated for a dog owner and that can turn into a legal battle.

“Many dog owners, more often than not, give up the dog and the dog is euthanized,” explained attorney Thom Page.

He represents a small percentage of dog owners who fight to keep their dogs alive. After the bites, some dogs are ordered to be killed, which is also known as a kill or disposal order. It is issued by an animal control officer. Click here for full article