Subscriber Comments for
Dealing With Animal Bites

Most recent Comments first | (reverse order)

COMMENT 335850	2012-10-26 10:14 AM
767P, okay, keep the 3 animal control officers at the SB shelter at the cost of $300K, and then give the other $1.2 million to DAWG to do intake of strays and adoptions. Or maybe they would do it for less than that based on their current budget. I bet we could save a bunch of money.
COMMENT 335767P	2012-10-26 05:56 AM
"There are specific guidelines for owners to keep their dogs and keep the public safe." "Once the dog LOOSES interest . . ." Who writes this stuff? @535: D.A.W.G. doesn't have to act as an enforcement agency, BTW. Nor does the group answer to emergency calls involving stray dogs or any sort of dog-involved contretemps. Also: you don't call D.A.W.G. to go pick up a smooshed raccoon or skunk or stray pet off the road or highway. Just factor that into your Animal Control budget.
COMMENT 335701P	2012-10-25 08:01 PM
D8Vanilla: I am curious: what is (or was) Animal Control supposed to do about a dead raccoon on your roof or wherever is the gutter. ...Thinking that maybe you meant the street?
COMMENT 335653P	2012-10-25 05:31 PM
Is there still the night and weekend lost & found hotline? Now they have an automated answering system, a press number for info thing. The last option is press 7 for "customer care." I hope they're saving money.
COMMENT 335648	2012-10-25 05:07 PM
Seeing as I don't live in Santa Barbara, 345, you'd be wrong.
COMMENT 335645P	2012-10-25 05:01 PM
Hmmmm sounds to me like some people are confusing SB City Animal Cntrol (which does NOT respond on weekends, eveinings) with County Animal Services. I want to add a voice of gratitude to County Animal Services for going above and beyond the call of duty in dealing with the whale car ass on the beach last saturday. True public service.
D8VANILLA	2012-10-25 03:25 PM
The couple of times I've called Animal Control, I only get a recording. I leave a message and they have NEVER called me back. They didn't even call me back when I reported a dead raccoon in the gutter, and I had called the wrong agency. That raccoon sat for 4 days, before i called them back and actually got a real person that told me I had to call some other number. I scolded them for NOT forwarding the info to the correct agency.
COMMENT 335611	2012-10-25 03:16 PM
Also, DAWG charges "adoption fees" as high as $475 for young dogs. That's pretty high compared with the County's fee.
COMMENT 335850	2012-10-25 03:09 PM
585, you should add a smiley face to your post so people know you are just messing with them. Otherwise you are riling up people for no reason. The last person that tried to give fake information about a dog bite in SB is currently on the run and can never come back here again. Unless being a fugitive sounds attractive, might as well fess up and pay the medical bills. Or train your dog appropriately. 568P- If you say the word privatizing the unions get up in arms because they know they will lose positions and union dues. But can another organization adopt out 300 dogs for less than 1.5 million in Santa Barbara? That's currently about $5000/dog!
COMMENT 335600	2012-10-25 02:43 PM
585 should be deleted.
COMMENT 335588P	2012-10-25 02:16 PM
Wow 585
COMMENT 335701P	2012-10-25 01:05 PM
535: I like that idea of privatizing the animal care. The County privatizes the medical care at the jail - how about privatizing the animal care at the shelters? SANTA BARBARA COUNTY GRAND JURY: how about looking into that, please!
COMMENT 335539	2012-10-25 11:27 AM
Another tip that they left out about dogs is even if the owner says the dog is nice and ok to pet don't start with putting your hand on top of its head. The dag takes this as a domination move and may react to a stranger trying to dominate it. Pet its side or chest first. Just a little FYI :)
COMMENT 335850	2012-10-25 11:16 AM
The County is spending more than $4 million a year on their 3 shelters for about 30 full time employees. A small percentage of that goes directly to the dogs as they get their food free from Science Diet and medical care above and beyond standard medicine and vaccines is obtained from the volunteer groups at the shelters. So we are paying more than an average of $100,000 per employee at the shelters. This includes their salaries and benefits and equipment and their significant pension payments. For $100,000 per employee, you think we could get better service from the Animal Services Department. They only adopted out about 300 dogs from the SB shelter in the last fiscal year, about the same number that DAWG adopts out with a budget of only $200,000 for the whole year. Maybe we should get DAWG to run the County shelter? Think what they could do with SB's $1.5 million share of the County budget!
COMMENT 335648	2012-10-25 10:29 AM
Where did I say I was blaming the workers? I did not blame anyone. I a merely exasperated over a press release that touts their importance and involvement when IN REALITY when you really NEED them, they're unavailable and they don't even MENTION their hours. That message was likely written by a MANAGER, not a "worker" and I bet done at the behest of some DIRECTOR. Let me say it more bluntly, county animal services in Santa Barbara County is a _joke_. Let's talk about the animals they've confiscated and the malarkey they published regarding that bird lady up there in the mountains. They COULD HAVE worked with her. Instead they destroyed her. RIDICULOUS.
COMMENT 335515	2012-10-25 10:15 AM
Ditto what 513 said. The workers there are good, they simply don't have enough or get to work enough hours. That's not their fault, it's the county.
COMMENT 335513	2012-10-25 10:09 AM
Animal Control does rarely seem to be in the actual office, however I've posted "found dog" listings on Craigslist before when I know Animal Control isn't open (nights or Sundays) and I've had a representative contact me asking if the pet has any license tags so he can check their system because he checks Craigslist from home! Don't blame the workers, blame the system for not providing the funding that Animal Control needs
COMMENT 335648	2012-10-25 09:22 AM
Don't you love how they've neglected to tell us the hours that they're open? I've called animal control. I have yet to need to call them when they're ACTUALLY WORKING. So, I've called the police, who say, "not our job, call animal control". Ridiculous!

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