CLEVELAND — They are among the unsung heroes in the animal welfare community. This week is National Animal Control Officer Appreciation Week, honoring animal care and control officers around the country and right here in Northeast Ohio. They spend countless hours ensuring public safety and are first responders in animal welfare.
To better understand their role, we shadowed a veteran officer who says in his job, no two days are the same.
It's early in the work day for Miguel Santiago, an officer for the Cleveland Division of Animal Care & Control. By 8 a.m. he's already taken a number of adoptable dogs from the Cleveland Kennel to the Cleveland APL to be spayed and neutered. His work day is still getting started.
"Yeah, 4575," Santiago says. "That was the address for the bite."
He's getting details on a dog bite report, which he must go check out. We follow along as he heads in his truck toward the southwest part of the city.
A caller claims they were bitten by a neighbor's dog. The report states the dog and owner were out walking when the caller reached down to greet the dog and was bitten.
These types of calls are common for Santiago. "And lots of times [dogs] accidentally get loose and sometimes they jump over fences and they go after people," he said.
Santiago approaches the house with slip lead in hand — always ready for the unexpected. Dogs bark at him from the window by the front door, but no one answers. He leaves a warning citation. Another officer on the night shift will be back to follow up.
He already has his next address to visit.
"After here I go on another call. There is supposedly a dog chasing people," Santiago says.
After 24 years on the job, Santiago says his best days are the ones with few calls. The warmer the weather, the worse it gets. But even on this cold rainy day, there is little rest.
At his next call, Santiago is familiar with the house and the dogs — all of whom are now contained and very vocal about our arrival. "We've had issues with them before," he says.
"There they go. They're big boys!"
He leaves a report on an outside gate. The dogs are confined back by the garage. He does not want to antagonize them any further.
The job is dangerous. Despite their best training and experience, attacks still happen.
We ask him what it takes to be an animal control officer. "You can't be scared," he says with a laugh, though he is not kidding.
The toughest days though are the ones that include neglect cases — animals who have suffered needlessly. He and his fellow officers are animal lovers at heart.
LEARN MORE: Animal Ordinances for the City of Cleveland
"It's hard. It's hard," Santiago said. "When it's a neglect case — no food or water — we turn it over to the APL and they're the ones that press charges."
We respond to another call for a loose dog, a familiar theme.
Santiago knows the streets of Cleveland like the back of his hand. By the time we arrive, he's already surveyed the area.
"This one is considered a GOA: gone on arrival," Santiago says. "No [loose] dogs in the area right now, but I've picked up a lot of dogs on this street before."
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Dogs do make up the majority of calls, but not all. There is the wildlife nuisance trapping program too, as we witnessed on this day.
"That's a big service that we offer that's really unusual for most animal control agencies," said Bruce Campbell, Kennel Manager for the City of Cleveland. "If residents are having issues on their property with groundhogs, possum, skunks or raccoons, we can loan out a trap for them to set up and get them off their property,"
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More than four hours into his shift, Santiago finally has a moment to stop and truly reflect on his chosen profession. It's not for everyone.
"We're the only ones that can speak for the animals," Santiago said. "And a lot of residents call us and tell us that there is something going on. [The animals] can't speak for themselves. We all definitely make a difference."
His best days are seeing unclaimed animals he's brought in get adopted.
"I love animals," he said. "I like them to go to good places and good homes."
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