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Memphis officials say animal-control staff shortages hurting weekend response; 545 is the dispatch line
Summary
Council committee members pressed Memphis Animal Services on weekend coverage for stray dogs, as the department said it has eight officer vacancies and is running biweekly neighborhood sweeps and vaccine/microchip clinics; officers can be reached via the animal-control line at 545.
Memphis Animal Services told the Public Service, Art and Youth Initiative Committee that the department has on-call officers on weekends but needs more staff to provide consistent weekend and evening coverage for stray-dog calls. Council Vice Chair Swearingen Washington described recent mauling incidents and urged faster weekend response in affected neighborhoods.
Susie Hollenbach, identified for the record as the director of Memphis Animal Services, said the department currently has eight open officer positions and has begun extending offers and conducting field training for new hires. She described neighborhood-focused efforts — called Project PawTek — that deploy four or five officers biweekly to high-volume stray areas for trapping, vaccination and microchipping. "545 is the number to call to get animal control dispatched," she said when asked how residents should report stray animals.
Council members asked for service metrics, including call volume and response times, and requested details about recent funding allocated to the shelter facility. Hollenbach said recent funding covered facility upgrades, and staff will provide statistics on call volumes, turnaround times and where grant or budgeted funds were spent.
Committee members also discussed making surrender options more accessible so residents can turn in unwanted animals without long trips to the shelter; Hollenbach said residents can request animal surrender when they report via 545 and staff try not to turn people away.
The committee asked Animal Services to provide a written update on response time metrics, vacancy and hiring status, and planned neighborhood clinic dates so council members can share the information with constituents.
