Clark County Animal Control hopes for rebuilt staff by late August

Posted

When fireworks cause pets to run away from home, having a reduced staff at Clark County Animal Control could be a recipe for disaster.

In the days following the Fourth of July, Humane Society of Southwest Washington Vice President and Director of Shelter Operations Lisa Feder picked up 13 stray cats, seven dogs and a rabbit.

But, according to Feder, this is 10 less animals than 2017. 

“In general, the intake of stray pets over the week of July 4th increases by about 50 percent more than our normal summer intake. This year, it seems a bit lower than in years past,” Feder said. “We did, however, receive 18 reports from people who were searching for their lost pet over the last two days. This is definitely a significant increase over the ‘normal’ lost pet report volume we see.”

Community Development Director Mitch Nickolds thinks the new fireworks ban in Vancouver could have caused the number of strays to drop. He also commends citizens for ensuring that their pets and those of their neighbors were well secured and comfortable as could be.

Feder believes social media sites, such as Facebook, are helping people find their lost pets.

“I think it is important to recognize that these people play a significant role in helping to reunite missing pets, often in a more efficient and cost-effective manner than the county is able to provide as a municipal service,” he said. “The Facebook community is especially helpful in connected people. I think that is one reason why fewer stray pets have been brought into the shelter the last few years.”

Clark County Animal Control can use all the help it can get. As reported by The Columbian on June 27, former manager Paul Scarpelli, three animal control officers and a code enforcement officer were fired for violating multiple employee policies. The Columbian reported that these employees ate a meal and consumed alcohol on company time, and later tried to cover it up. Scarpelli had already been fired for drinking a beer after a luncheon, even though he told the people at table he was off the clock.



Nickolds would not confirm or deny these reports. Out of respect for those former employees, he chose not to discuss the situation. He did, however, unveil the organization’s plans moving forward.

“From our organization’s perspective – given the importance of maintaining robust animal  protection and control services in Clark County – it is important that we be well prepared for any type of unforeseen and unanticipated staffing and/or resourcing challenges, regardless as to the reason the challenges arose,” Nickolds said.

“Recruitments to fill the vacancies are underway. Once hired, all new team members will be trained and accountable for providing the excellent animal protection and control services our community needs,” he added. “It is our hope to restore full service levels by mid to late August. In addition, I will be working with the new program manager once the position is filled permanently to develop a process to expedite – and increase the volume of – animal control and code enforcement cases and hearings to ensure the highest level of compliance possible.”

In the meantime, Clark County Animal Control continues to operate with two full-time animal control officers and three temporary staff members provided by Phillips Investment Enterprise.

“All three individuals were interviewed to verify they had appropriate skills, knowledge and ability to perform the administrative support tasks and duties at the time of hire,” Nickolds said. 

Nickolds asks Clark County residents to be patient during this time of realignment and encourages them to continue to be stewards for pets in the community.

“There are obviously questions about animal control coverage with diminished staffing at this time,” he said. “However, we have received  supportive calls and offers of support for continuing our animal control program from throughout our community. To us, that indicates a substantial trust exists in our team and in the services Clark County Animal Protection and Control Services provides. We will continue to work to strengthen that trust and confidence at every opportunity.”