Wakulla County animal control reports quarterly activity, new partnerships and facility expansion

Walter Klass, animal control manager for Wakulla County, gave the board a quarterly report on animal-control activity and partnerships at the Feb. 18 county commission meeting.

Klass said the county’s officers handled a range of calls and enforcement actions and emphasized the unit’s role in public safety. “Animal control’s primary role is ensuring public safety,” Klass said. He described responses to bites and aggressive animals, welfare checks, neglect and cruelty investigations, and coordination with law enforcement and wildlife agencies.

The report covered calendar activity for the period the county staff identified as Nov. 1, 2024, through Jan. 31, 2025. Klass reported the team worked 65 separate cases during that period, issued 126 notices of violation and 83 citations, and responded to 19 animal-bite reports. Officers provided assistance to law enforcement or emergency medical services 16 times. Staff set and monitored dog traps at 21 locations that resulted in nine dogs impounded; they also reported impounding two pigs and one beaver.

Klass said animal control took in animals during the quarter and achieved an 85% live-release rate for outcomes that included adoption, return to owner, transfer to rescue partners and other placements. Staff performed 12 drop-offs and pickups to the county adoption center for spay-neuter services and transported 14 animals to local veterinarians for exams or treatment.

Klass described ongoing training efforts: one officer received 40 hours of training and certification in January, and the team completed online training that included mandated reporting and shelter best-practice courses. He noted a new partnership with the University of Florida in Gainesville to provide veterinary forensic pathology support for criminal animal-cruelty investigations. Klass said the county has submitted two animals for necropsy to support prosecutions and that the partnership has already resulted in a county cost savings of $931.40.

Klass also reported that animal control obtained three seizure warrants from the circuit court in the quarter; five dogs were impounded under those warrants, three owners were permanently enjoined from owning animals in Wakulla County, and the county was awarded $1,970.04 in restitution from two cases.

Klass introduced his staff members to the board: Richard Bear McCombs (animal control officer), Tristan Zane Sanders (animal control officer), Adrianna D. Trentonio (field trainee/animal-control trainee) and Avery Ebel (kennel technician). He thanked a local volunteer group he identified as the WAG group and invited residents to a grand opening for animal control’s renovated facility. Klass said the renovation and expansion will provide new space and enable “better care for the animals that come into our custody,” and that staff expect the facility work to be finished in time for a grand opening around March 1, 2025.

Klass encouraged residents to report suspected animal abuse or neglect and thanked volunteers who assist the adoption center and shelter operations.

The presentation prompted brief remarks of appreciation from commissioners and a question about volunteer numbers; Klass said he did not have an exact count at the meeting but estimated “well over a dozen” regular volunteers.