Advocating for the city's furriest residents

Green River Animal Control has been busy.

Tracy Wyant and Kim Wilkins, Green River's two full-time Animal Control Officers (ACOs), have had their hands full lately. The Animal Control Shelter usually averages six to seven dogs at a time - last Friday they had 19.

Wyant said the shelter has seen more animals than usual this summer, and Wilkins noted that they've been dealing with a number of other cases, such as wildlife calls. However, staying busy is nothing new for Animal Control.

"We do more than people think we do," Wyant said.

Along with two part-time ACOs, Wyant and Wilkins keep up with a wide range of responsibilities. Most noticeably, they run a full-service animal shelter, taking in and caring for animals before finding them homes through adoptions. The shelter also offers microchipping and vaccinations for pets and gives out a spay/neuter certificate with every adoption.

In addition to being over the shelter, Animal Control is a branch of the Green River Police Department. Wyant explained that ACOs fulfill a number of law enforcement duties, including doing routine patrols, answering calls for service, completing investigations, writing citations, pursuing charges, testifying in court and enforcing city ordinances.

Animal Control's regular duties also include responding to any and all situations with animals, from cats and dogs to reptiles to wildlife.

"If it involves an animal, we're going to get involved in some capacity," Wyant said.

Just this summer, Animal Control has dealt with badgers, rattlesnakes, coyotes and deer, according to Wilkins. These situations have become normal to Wyant, but she does enjoy the out of the ordinary calls - like the time she had to climb a tree to catch a five-foot iguana.

Even if cases are later transferred to other organizations, such as the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, they start with Animal Control, Wyant said. ACOs respond to a situation, then use their network of connections to find the best people to help.

Connections are crucial to the way Green River Animal Control operates, from partnerships with other organizations to working together with the community. Because Green River Animal Control is a small shelter with a trained and dedicated staff operating in a tight-knit community, the ACOs are able to focus on serving the animals and the people around them.

From teaching school groups to holding clinics to working directly with pet owners, ACOs spend lots of time on education and outreach, according to Wyant. She said that they will do what they need to when it comes to enforcing the law, but they prefer to educate with compassion so they can work together with people.

The ACOs also regularly help people who need support in caring for their animals. Wyant said the team at Animal Control often ends up digging into their own pockets to pay for needs that they see. They also give back from what is given to them. When the shelter has extra donations, they are re-donated to people who need them. For example, Wyant said that one Christmas the animal control team went out at night in the snow to leave dog food on the porches of families they knew were in need.

"We're here to help," Wyant said.

Wyant personally understands what it means to be a community member working with Animal Control, since she was an owner of runaway dogs before she was an ACO. Wyant's dogs were escape artists who frequently had to be picked up from the shelter. Eventually they started showing up at the shelter on their own when they ran away. At one point Wyant joked to the Animal Control staff, "I'm down here so much, you should hire me." Not long after, they did. She began working part time, then became full time, and has now been with Animal Control for 24 years.

Wyant gives credit to both the team at Animal Control and the community for the ways people currently work together to take care of animals. This includes spaying and neutering pets, which helps the shelter keep up with animals who need homes.

Even with the recent increase in the number of animals, the shelter hasn't reached capacity, and is able to care for the animals that come in and continue working to find them homes.

Wyant worries that some people hear "animal shelter" and form opinions based on stereotypes, picturing large, overcrowded shelters.

"We run things a little bit differently here," Wyant said.

The team at Animal Control goes out of their way to make sure the animals that come in end up going out and finding their forever homes, according to Wyant. Everything is focused on finding the best adoptions possible. The ACOs listen carefully to what people want and take all the circumstances into consideration to make sure they can place the right animals in the right homes.

"We try to find the best pet for you," Wyant said. She believes adoptions are Animal Control's strong point, and that the shelter has developed a strong reputation and built a network of connections that help those adoptions continue. The ACOs work together with other local shelters, and Wyant said people come from all over to take home pets.

The ACOs truly care for the animals they work with - which comes with its own challenges and rewards. Wyant said that being an ACO requires a whole other level of compassion, and any given shift can contain an entire gamut of emotions.

Handling the emotions of being an ACO is one of the biggest challenges, according to Wyant. She said it's often important to keep emotions in check, especially when it's necessary to follow policies and procedures and not take sides. This is often necessary to make sure an animal gets what they deserve. However, Wyant said one of her biggest frustrations is when people don't treat their animals well, but aren't technically doing anything wrong, they're just doing the bare minimum.

"There is no law that I can enforce to make you love your animal," Wyant said.

Wilkins also understands the frustrations and difficult emotions involved in being an ACO. One of the dogs currently in the shelter illustrates how upsetting it can be to see animals who aren't cared for.

"You look at that face and I don't know how you could not have helped him," Wilkins said, looking at PD.

PD is a 10-month-old male pitbull who was in the shelter for a while in May as a happy, fat, healthy puppy. He returned to the shelter this past week, thin and injured. Wilkins explained that PD was in an accident where he was run over several months ago and not properly taken care of after. PD now needs surgery to repair damage to his femur. Animal Control hopes to raise the money needed to cover his surgery - about $1,500.

Despite all he's been through, PD's future is looking good. He already has a foster home lined up that will take care of him while he recovers once he's able to have surgery, and he should be able to make a full recovery, according to Wilkins.

Wilkins also noted that PD demonstrates the loving and forgiving nature of animals.

"They don't hold grudges," Wilkins said.

Seeing animals go from terrible situations to loving homes make all the challenges worth it, Wyant said. She loves seeing pets go to the right owners and thriving in their new environments. She also loves hearing how the animals' lives change when they go to a good home, and hearing stories of how animals have changed their owners' lives.

"That's what makes your heart feel good, and you're ready to do it again," Wyant said.

Wyant also noted that Animal Control's work is especially important because animals can't speak up for themselves.

"We are advocates," Wyant said. "We are the voices for these animals."