Calls for animal control go unanswered

About three years ago, Don Meiners tried to reach Jackson City Animal Control for advice about a squirrel in his house, but he was never lucky to get anyone on the phone.

The problem resolved itself when the squirrel ran away from the house on its own.

He tried again Jan. 12 to reach animal control, but for a more pressing matter: He found a dead deer in his yard at Jackson’s Country Club, which backs up to the Pearl River Seawall, and needed animal control to get rid of it. .

“I had two experiences several years apart, and I couldn’t get animal control on the phone each time,” said Meiners, retired president and CEO of Energy- Mississippi.

Meiners called a number for the Jackson city administration and one for animal control which he found in his phone book but got nowhere. He then turned to fellow church member Ashby Foote, who represents Ward 1 on the Jackson City Council, for help.

Foote handled the case. “I called the chief of police about it,” Foote said, noting that animal control falls under the jurisdiction of the police department.

Someone from animal control showed up to check on the problem and returned the next day to pick up the deceased deer.

The service animal control provided was good, Meiners said, but the difficulty was getting in touch with him.

Jackson Police Department Commander Jay Coleman, who leads the administrative division that includes animal control, said animal control’s phone number, 601-960-1775, was down.

A Jackson resident in need of animal control should call 601-906-9503, which is the number for Marquett Allen, Animal Control Officer.

The city no longer houses animals at the Jackson Animal Shelter at 140 Outer Circle near Hawkins Field in West Jackson; it was closed last october because there was no running water.

There are still seven animal control employees, Coleman said. One of the seven employees is in military service, he said.

Phone issues have plagued Jackson’s animal control for some time, making it difficult for residents to reach animal control when they need it, said longtime Mississippi executive director Debra Boswell. Animal Rescue League (MARL) at the end of 2021 and shift its duties to focus on animal cruelty cases and donor relations.

“It’s a long, long, long, long problem,” she said. “Our phone rings all day every day with people trying to reach animal control.”

Many city residents end up calling MARL and other subway shelters when they need to reach animal control, she said, but they don’t provide animal control tasks such as handling stray dogs.

Boswell would like the city to add a recorded message to Jackson’s animal control phone line, providing instructions on who to call for animal control. She would also like animal control to forward the phone number to whoever a city employee would answer.

Coleman said he would consider posting information about how to reach animal control on the city’s website or Facebook page.

It would have been helpful if the Mississippi Animal Rescue League and other area shelters had been made aware of animal control plans when the Jackson shelter closed, Boswell said.

“We would like to have a written directive that these are the numbers the public should call directly for animal control,” she said. “This information needs to be displayed on every phone so that police dispatch has it on their screen when someone calls.”

Boswell would also like to know when Jackson’s animal shelter will reopen. “I have no idea about the game plan or the repair schedule,” she said.

Several months ago, Best Friends, a national non-profit animal welfare organization, provided a written report on what needed to be done to improve the shelter and offered to provide free assistance with some repairs and operation. from the shelter. The group’s offer amounts to $100,000 to $300,000 in free services.

Best Friends is still waiting to hear if the city will accept the offer.

City Council President Virgi Lindsay, who represents Ward 7, thinks city officials are still in conversation with best friends. “Best Friends has made a generous offer to help the town of Jackson improve its animal shelter,” she said.

Lindsay volunteered at the shelter and saw the shelter’s neglect. “It is high time for us to address the issue,” she said.

She received many phone calls from Jackson residents about the shelter.

“I was the person from council that people contacted about this. It’s really important,” she said. “We need to step up our animal shelter services.”

Foote would like the city to take advantage of the help offered by Best Friends.

“We must partner with nonprofits and organizations that share our goals and want to improve Jackson’s quality of life, whether it’s city parks, the zoo, or the animal shelter.” , did he declare. “I appreciate their interest.”

About Chuck Keeton

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