What to report, Animal Control Officer limitations, and how can you help?

What to report:

• Dog or cat bites
• Animal cruelty or neglect
• Human exposure /encounters with potential rabid animals
• Sick or injured domestic animals or livestock

What Animal Control Officers are not required to respond to:

• Calls reporting wildlife nuisance
• Wildlife damage to gardens, flower beds, shrubs or trees
• Wildlife living under decks, storage sheds, or porches
• Wildlife in attics, basements, garages and sheds
• Wildlife living in populated areas
• You may contact the Virginia Wildlife Center in Waynesboro if you find injured wildlife and want to help them.  (540) 942-9453 at 1800South Delphine Avenue Waynesboro, VA 22980 http://wildlifecenter.org/
• Information regarding nuisance wildlife can be found on the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries website at: www.dgif.virginia.gov

How can you help?

• Minimize contact between pets and wildlife
• Spay or neuter your pets to help prevent your pets from straying and to help reduce the numbers of unwanted pets in our community
• If you can identify the owner of a stray dog or cat, call the owner for pick up 
• Keep identification tags in addition to the county license and rabies tag on your pets at all times so they can be easily returned to you.  In addition to tags, pets with microchips are easier to be reunited with their owners so please consider doing so with your pets.