MASON CITY – A report was called in to police about a dog left in a van on Friday afternoon in the Wal-Mart parking lot, but an animal control officer took no action.
According to a person at the scene, the dog was locked in a cage in the back of a gold van, surrounded by trash bags. The front window was partially down. The temperature outside was warm and humid.
Before the animal control officer arrived, the owner came back to the van, was not happy that someone had called authorities and wanted to know what was wrong with leaving the dog in the vehicle as long as it had water. The persons were agitated and said they were leaving and going to Hardee’s.
A few minutes later, an animal control officer arrived, and asked a concerned person at the scene, “Are you here to see if I get out of my truck?” She also told the person near the van that “in her experience if a dog is not barking and just laying there” then she will be concerned about its safety, otherwise, she would not be concerned.
The city of Mason City’s web site advises “Don’t leave your pet in a parked car”. On the page designated for the Animal Control Department, it states “Never leave your pet unattended in a parked car for any period of time. On a warm day, the temperature in a parked car can reach 120° in a matter of minutes—even with the car windows partially open. Your pet can quickly suffer brain damage or die from heatstroke or suffocation when trapped in high temperatures.”
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I called animal control once about a pitbull running lose. The employee came out but would do nothing because it was a “vicious” dog.
She does NOTHING whenever a pet is neglected or abused. I’ve called in COUNTLESS instances & nothing is ever done. She needs to quit if she doesn’t want to work. Cerro Gordo County needs a team of SPCA workers to work 27/7. So many irresponsible & abusive pet owners. Sad.
I am very disturbed by the trend of Animal Control overlooking serious situations… I guess we need to start advocating for another cause here in Mason City. I have researched the number of animal control calls and reasons for those calls. There are hundreds of calls. And, each one has to be taken seriously. Regardless of the outcome, I am still thankful that there are concerned citizens willing to make the call…. There are bad pet owners, just like bad parents.. watch for that too!!
Just like the code enforcement in Mason City, Animal Control will enforce/report whatever she wants to. Of course she didn’t do anything, but she has no problem harassing people who have other pets that she sees as a nuisance.
Besides the awful heat an humidity look at the garbage bags over taking the background. Nice one animal control. Could have found the vehicle owner an at least talked to them.
I have one question for Animal control. Will you volunteer to sit in a hot vehicle for us? And of course you have to wrap a blanket around you considering dogs have all that fur on top of enduring the heat. Let us know!
And of course we would have a nurse at the scene for you, animals rely on us so they don’t have that choice for a nurse but we will be nice!