Warden in doghouse with mayor ...

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The dog warden said his department handles dogs, not cats.

By PATRICIA MEADE

VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER

YOUNGSTOWN — Mayor Jay Williams says the dog warden's prohibiting a trained humane agent on his staff from acting in that capacity when faced with dying cats smacks of neglect, incompetence or horrifically poor judgment.

The mayor's comments are contained in a letter to Mahoning County commissioners. The mayor and commissioners are working together to ensure that a humane agent is available when needed.

The mayor's letter was prompted by dead and starving cats at 1317 Douglas St. that were discovered by Dave Nelson, a certified humane agent now employed as a deputy dog warden. Humane agents, who are appointed by the county, investigate animal abuse complaints, whereas a dog warden deals with loose dogs, dog bites and licensing.

Nelson, out looking for a loose pit bull dog, came across the abandoned collection of cats — at least 40 live and untold dead — at the Douglas house Aug. 31.

City left in the lurch

Animal Charity, a private nonprofit agency on South Avenue, is designated to handle animal abuse cases for Mahoning County. The city was left in the lurch Labor Day weekend when an Animal Charity spokesman said it couldn't respond to Douglas Street. It turned out that the agency's humane agent, Jason Osborne, lacks certification for the position and has been advised by the city prosecutor to not enter private property until certified.

Mahoning County Dog Warden Mike Fox, in response to the mayor's comments, said today that his department handles dogs, not cats. He said Nelson, who once worked for Animal Charity, turned the problem on Douglas Street over to Animal Charity.

Fox said no one consulted him at the time but he would not have wanted Nelson to enter the house without Osborne. Fox said Nelson has plenty of work in his present job.

"I don't know what the mayor means. Dave works as a dog warden, not a humane agent," Fox said. "It's not in the scope of his duties."

Fox pointed out that the law allows anyone to rescue an animal in distress.

Cats rescued

Animal Charity and Angels for Animals of Canfield, which is not a humane agency, rescued the cats Sept. 5. They acted in the capacity of private citizens after reviewing the situation with the city prosecutor.

Williams, meanwhile, said in his letter that he found Fox vague and evasive but noted that Fox acknowledged that he prevented Nelson from acting in the capacity of a humane agent.

"I hope you share my grave concern about how this situation was mishandled," Williams wrote to the commissioners. "I welcome the opportunity to prevent these situations in the future by establishing a humane agent partnership with the county, which was the case in previous years."

The mayor also wrote that he hopes Fox would be encouraged to exercise better judgment in the future should a similar situation arise before the partnership is established.

meade@vindy.com

Monday, September 18, 2006