Animal Control officers stay prepared for icy roads, cold temperatures
By Cal Larsen
Click here for updates on this story
OMAHA, Nebraska (KETV) — Freezing temperatures can be hazardous to animals and pets the same way it is to humans. Animal Control at the Nebraska Humane Society works hard to protect all animals while also looking out for the officers on the job.
“This is going to be the coldest day of the year, or we’re going to have a bad winter storm coming in, those are the days people take seriously,” James Johnson, the night shift supervisor with Animal Control, said.
Johnson begins each day with a shift-change debrief to make sure his officers are prepared for the day. That means being prepared for the ice and snow.
All officers have “cleats” they can strap onto their boots to help them on ice driveways, parking lots and yards.
“We certainly get dogs that run through icy patches and we don’t want to slip and fall and hurt ourselves when we’re trying to catch them,” Johnson said.
Johnson says when they arrive to calls that deal with dogs or cats being left out in the cold he first looks to make sure the animal has proper, legal shelter.
The next priority is access to food and clean, unfrozen water.
“Especially during the cold, we’ll have dogs that are unresponsive, we’ll have dogs that are lethargic,” Johnson said.
Animal Control does receive fewer calls during winter compared to summer because they’re receiving fewer wildlife calls. Johnson also believes when the temperatures drop to a certain level people are much more cognizant of their pets and how long they’re outside.
Call Animal Control at 402-444-7800, extension 1.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
