Animal control officers are important law enforcing individuals. Animal control officers can hold jobs in health departments, police departments, sheriff’s departments, humane societies, or parks and recreation departments. They are responsible for enforcing and interpreting animal regulations, laws and ordinances.
Duties might include:
- Responding to emergency calls involving animals
- Dealing with stray animals
- Discovering and/or investigating animal cruelty cases
- Discovering and/ or investigating dog fighting cases
- Caring for animals in a shelter
- Investigating incidents of human contact with both wild and domestic animals (such as bites)
- Protecting both wild and domestic animals
- Issuing fines or taking animal owners to court for acts such as those of irresponsibility or violence
- Educating people about animals rights
- Documenting cases
