Once considered society’s bottom rung, the dog catcher is gaining ground in Manatee County.
“It’s more respectable now. I’m an ‘officer,’” said Ernie White, Manatee County Animal Services officer-humane investigator.
“On the street, though, I’m still the dog catcher. Or they’ll call me the dog man or dog person,” he added.
White is one of eight officers dispatched six days a week from the Palmetto offices and shelter at 305 25th St. W. A mid-year request for a budget allocation will soon allow Sunday field services.
The officers investigate complaints of animal cruelty, fighting, tethering, illegal breeding, strays, dogs locked in vehicles and more.
“I’ve been doing this on and off for about 20 years, and I’ve been called everything,” said White, who has worked two years for MCAS and held similar positions at Spartanburg, South Carolina; Orange County Animal Services; and the SPCA of Central Florida.
White’s philosophy is to educate those who unknowingly endanger animals or break the law.
“I’ll talk to them, leave them notices, get on the phone and tell them” about the laws, White said.
He approaches people with a “ma’am” or a “sir” and matter-of-fact explanations. White says patience is key — with people and animals.
“Once you start talking,” people usually cooperate, he said. With animals, White added, “If you’re patient enough, in most cases, not all, they’ll come to you.”
Bill Hutchison — the county’s former public safety director brought out of retirement to replace MCAS director Kris Weiskopf in August 2014 — points to White as the type of officer he wants to shape the department’s future.
White was hired under Weiskopf, who was transferred to code enforcement following the news that 300-plus sick and malnourished animals were housed under his supervision at Napier’s Log Cabin Horse and Animal Sanctuary in East Manatee.
First responder protocol
As a first-responder on mistreated animal calls — usually about dogs, cats and sometimes ferrets and pigs — White first determines their physical condition and looks for a source of shelter, water and food.
“The first thing is to check on the health and safety of any animal. Next we determine if the person has a license,” including dog rabies vaccine tag and other appropriate licenses, White said.
Most calls are handled with a series of 24- or 48-hour warnings, to allow time for treatment or other ordinance compliance. After a third visit, if an officer still finds violations, an owner may be fined and charged with neglect or cruelty.
White prepares for calls by investigating home ownership, prior violations and other complaint-specific allegations, he explained.
Then, bite-stick in hand — not to hit animals with, he emphasized, but as a deterrent and to give them something to bite on — White knocks on doors of alleged animal offenders.
On the island
In distinct white vans with black paws, MCAS officers, including White, patrol the roads with the exception of Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key.
“We’re the bottom of the barrel. Face it, there are a lot of vacationers out there — they don’t want to see us. It’s frowned upon for us to go on the island unless there’s a call,” White said.
White has responded to calls from the island on feral cats, a sick raccoon and a beagle tethered outside with no shelter, no water and no one watching.
With the beagle, no one was home, so White left a notice. Upon follow-up, he found the problem solved.
On the raccoon call, it was afflicted with distemper, and MCAS worked with other agencies to confine it for treatment.
“A lot of dogs are found locked in vehicles — one last summer in Bradenton Beach. I gave them the what-fors,” White said.
On the road
White took The Islander on patrol Feb. 17.
He stopped first in west Bradenton for a possible squatter with an abandoned dog. White had researched the property owner and also determined the pet’s owner was in jail.
As he knocked on the door, a dog barked inside the house. White got no response.
He talked to neighbors and looked for evidence around the house. He could not see the dog from the outside and was unable to determine if anyone was caring for the dog.
If he’d observed animal suffering, he could take action, but because the barking came from behind closed doors, probable cause and a warrant would be necessary before entry.
According to White’s supervisor, Joel Richmond, this is a case MCAS will coordinate with the sheriff’s office.
Next on Feb. 17, White patrolled west Manatee and stopped when he observed a small dog tethered to a post in a front yard. He issued a written warning to the pet owner, who said she didn’t know about the ordinance prohibiting tethering without supervision.
“She said something I didn’t like hearing — that she’s aware of coyotes here.
“That little dog could be coyote bait,” White said.
Another call came in from Palmetto — about “a man beating a puppy with a belt” — and White responded.
After talking to the pet owner and family members, White determined the call was unfounded, “no evidence of a belt, no evidence of beating.”
However, he observed worrisome conditions relating to two pit bulls in a carport. One was in heat and chained to a post and another was in a cage without a solid bottom.
“With the female dog’s esters out and the dog chained, they’re putting their grandson at risk.” Male dogs could come by — mean and nasty — and the little boy could get mauled, White told the woman in Palmetto.
“I scared her. I didn’t mean to, but it was a good shot of reality,” he added.
White also informed the woman about proper feeding with high-quality dog food and regular walking about 15 minutes after meals.
Napier’s aftermath
Inspections at shelter facilities are another duty of field officers.
White was new to the job during the Napier’s investigation. But, he said, the animals and conditions there could not be seen from the road.
Regarding criticism levied at MCAS for failure to inspect and respond to complaints at Napier’s, Hutchison said Weiskopf’s “hands were tied” because of an inability to get onto the property.
According to Hutchison, new transfer agreements — that give MCAS officers the right to make unannounced inspections — are either in place or being negotiated with all rescue organizations and shelters that take MCAS animals.
White said, “I love this organization. I know there have been mistakes in the past. How can you learn without making mistakes?
“I’m going to do whatever I can do to make it better,” he added.
Part 6 of The Islander’s series on animal services will look at the trap-neuter-release program for feral cats, and nonprofit and volunteer efforts.
