Clark County Animal Protection and Control has ramped up its efforts to handle cruelty and neglect cases across the county as the department’s new manager and staff seek to repair a reputation of inaction.
Since July, the department has executed six search warrants on properties in Clark County on potential neglect and cruelty cases, turning up more than 100 animals in need of care. Cases have ranged from an apartment in Vancouver to rural properties in North Clark County, and animals of all sizes including reptiles, horses and livestock.
In November, animal control seized 44 birds of various species on a property near Ridgefield due to unsanitary conditions and a lack of food and water, a release from the county stated. A few months later, the department removed 20 cows from a Battle Ground-area property, two of which had to be euthanized. That case resulted in first-degree animal cruelty charges for the property owner.
Most recently, animal control responded to a property in La Center to remove three emaciated horses, the release stated.
The increased enforcement activity is part of Clark County Animal Protection and Control Manager Joanne Cloud’s plan to reverse a preconception that the department won’t help out.
“People’s perception was you can call animal control but they won’t respond,” Cloud said.
Currently the department has Cloud, an administrative position, a dispatcher and three officers. Cloud said the department is authorized to have up to five officers, and is working on filling the vacancies.
Cloud’s position is her first foray into professional animal control, though she has a background working with animals. Before serving active duty in the U.S. Coast Guard for 20 years, Cloud worked as a veterinary technician. That background proved beneficial for volunteering during her military tenure.
“Depending on where I was stationed, I either volunteered at a humane society or a vet clinic and just kept those skills up,” Cloud said.
Cloud was promoted to master chief petty officer right before landing at the county, so she decided to stick around for a few years in the Coast Guard reserves while taking on the county role.
Forging partnerships
When Cloud joined the department in July she said establishing partnerships was her first concern. Although the Humane Society for Southwest Washington could house cats, dogs and small animals, animal control had to look elsewhere for livestock and equine cases.
To meet that need, animal control formed a partnership with Ridgefield-based Rocking B Farms. Cloud said the farm has gone above and beyond in helping the department. In one case, they took in dozens of cows in the middle of the night.
“They were ready for us,” Cloud said. “They had room.”
Since she started in July to the end of May, 93 animals have gone through the farm, Cloud said.
The department has also partnered with Sound Equine Options in Troutdale. Cloud said the rescue has received eight horses from cases in the past two months.
Support from Rocking B and Sound Equine Options for large animals complements the existing “amazing” resource of the humane society, Cloud said.
Animal control officers are trained for their specific duties and are not armed law enforcement or trained to handle mental health crises.
“Some of these calls, they’re bad. Maybe it’s a domestic dispute, maybe it’s a mental health thing and someone’s hoarding animals,” Cloud said.
She recalled one case where a resident decided to shoot cats in a neighborhood.
“When those things happen, we end up having to take a step back because we have to wait for the police to respond with us. If they’re busy on a drug bust or a murder or something else, we have to wait. It’s not safe,” Cloud said.
Cloud said when she arrived at the county, the department had not done a search warrant in almost two decades.
“I don’t think it was for a lack of caring,” Cloud said, reasoning her predecessors weren’t aware of the procedures.
The department has since partnered with the sheriff’s office who helps animal control draft probable cause documents and execute warrants, Cloud said. Animal control started to work with sheriff’s Sgt. Brian Kessel and his unit for the sheriff’s office for support on warrants. The most recent one saw support from the Vancouver Police Department, whose procedures are similar to the sheriff’s office so animal control already knew how to work with them.
“Learning how the sheriff wanted things done and making that partnership, without them we just couldn’t do it,” Cloud said.
She thanked Kessel for helping with the more intensive work that is now showing results.
Animal control’s jurisdiction covers Vancouver, Yacolt and unincorporated Clark County. Battle Ground, La Center and Ridgefield have to rely on their own police for animal issues, though Cloud said she wants to be able to help those departments whenever she can.
“My take was just, we should help each other,” Cloud said.
Putting procedures in place
Another push for Cloud is to have standard operating procedures in place. Some of those procedures are based on guidelines from the National Animal Control Association, she said.
“The only way to rebuild that reputation in the community is to give really good customer service,” Cloud said.
Cloud estimated animal control gets about 60 calls a day. Due to the small staff the department has to triage calls, with cases of cruelty and neglect alongside vicious animals taking top priority.
Those in animal control’s jurisdiction with animal-related concerns can call 564-397-2488, or after-hours at 360-839-3850. Cloud said animal control has worked out an agreement with Pacific Northwest Pet ER for support on after-hours emergency cases.
Some of the lingering preconceptions of the department have made their way to social media, which Cloud has found particularly irksome since it doesn’t help solve problems, whether those are current issues or were under the former administration of animal control.
“I would so rather hear from a citizen that they’re dissatisfied with something versus reading about it later because someone copied me on a social media post,” Cloud said.
