HAMILTON — The Bitterroot Valley has been without a dedicated animal control officer for about five years, prompting the Ravalli County Sheriff's Office and Bitter Root Humane Association to form a strong partnership to serve the community's needs.
"We did have an animal control deputy, and she actually had my old badge number, and then she moved on to another job," said Dani Gingerich, a Ravalli County Sheriff's Office deputy.
Watch to learn more about the Ravalli County partnership:
Without a specialized officer, all deputies have stepped up to handle animal-related calls.
"We've had something dedicated specifically to that. I guess at this point, you could call us all animal control because we all deal with it. We all help with it," Gingerich said.
The collaboration between the sheriff's office and the humane association has created an effective system for responding to animal control needs throughout the valley.
Tucker Chase, shelter director at Bitter Root Humane Association, explained how the partnership has improved their capabilities.
"We were able to get catch poles and 20 scanners, microchip scanners for the sheriff's department," Chase said.
The shelter handles all domestic animals, including livestock, pocket pets, dogs and cats. Both organizations share response duties based on availability and the specific situation.
"We just connect resources all over the place and sometimes that's just as simple as knowing the right person, the right community member or the right organization," Gingerich said.
The working relationship has become so close that direct communication between the agencies is routine.
"I have several sheriff's deputies that I can, I know I can just text or I can call at any given time. Hey, this is the situation I've got. Let me run this by you," Chase said.
The Sheriff's Office has not indicated whether it plans to hire a dedicated animal control officer in the future. For now, the partnership between the two organizations continues to meet the community's animal control needs.
"Yeah, it makes a big difference," Chase said.
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