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Resident says town animal-control officer ‘is not doing his job’; selectmen ask for county report
Summary
Resident Judy Olson told Cushing selectmen that the town Animal Control Officer failed to issue summonses after repeated reports of loose dogs that she said have killed 22 chickens; the board asked the ACO to attend the next meeting and directed Selectman Daniel Staples to request a response report from the Knox County Sheriff’s Department.
At the Sept. 26, 2016 meeting of the Cushing Selectmen, resident Judy Olson accused the town Animal Control Officer of failing to act after repeated complaints about loose dogs. "The Animal Control Officer is not doing his job," Olson told the board, saying two dogs entered her property and killed her grandson's rooster and that "these same dogs have killed 22 chickens in town."
Selectman Daniel Staples said the Knox County Sheriff’s Department is proposing to provide a countywide animal control officer and that he would contact the department to obtain a report on its responses to calls in Cushing, including dates and the number of times deputies were dispatched because the town ACO was unavailable. The board directed the town ACO to attend the next Selectmen meeting so trustees and citizens could raise the specific incidents and review the ACO's records.
Olson said she had reviewed the ACO's reports at the town office and found multiple entries documenting the dogs' appearances but no record of summonses or court notifications to the owners. The board did not take formal disciplinary action at the meeting; its next steps were limited to requesting further information and scheduling the ACO to appear.
The Sheriff's Department proposal, as described at the meeting, would be an intergovernmental service and would require further discussion and agreement; Selectman Staples was assigned to follow up with the department and report back to the board. The board set the next meeting for Oct. 10, when other agenda items include a Pay-As-You-Throw presentation.
