Stray animals a hazard

Staff Sgt. Carrie Hecht spreads blankets on the bottom of one of the six kennels of her truck before hoisting an injured Labrador retriever into it at the Willow Creek Pet Center in Sandy.

The dog had been found after being hit by a vehicle. Because it lacked proper identification, the pet center had no choice but to call Salt Lake County Animal Services and have the dog taken to a shelter.

Only 30 percent of drivers who have hit an animal in the street call Animal Services or stick around for them to arrive, even though it's against the law to abandon the animal, Hecht said.

Salt Lake County collected 1,090 dead cats and dogs last year, many killed by vehicles.

According to statistics from the Utah Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System, 7,902 vehicles struck wild animals or pets between 2000 and 2002 in Utah.

The Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported there were more than 247,000 crashes involving animals in 2000. Animals cause more than 26,000 injuries each year.

"There are many unseen ramifications to allowing a dog to run loose," said Animal Services spokeswoman Temma Martin. When pet or livestock owners are irresponsible, they put not only the life of the animal at risk but also drivers'.

Stray animals are a liability for the owners, Hecht said. If they cause an accident, the owner can be prosecuted criminally and still be liable in civil suits following an incident. But she concedes most people don't know that.

The opportunity to educate pet owners on animal safety was one of the reasons Hecht became an animal control officer 13 years ago.

"I feel like I can do more with my job than I could at a veterinary clinic," she said.

Collecting dead or injured animals, like the dog in the back of the truck, is one of the difficult parts of her job.

"Some days it gets to you because they wouldn't have been hit or killed if the owners had been more responsible. Dogs that are walked and exercised regularly run off less often," she said.

Hecht likes working with animals. She grew up on a ranch and has been around them her whole life. Not everybody could do her job, she said.

Animal control officers, like police, are held responsible and can be sued for any mistakes that occur. That high risk factor often causes burnout and forces officers to be highly trained, including undertaking much of the same training police officers go through, like the Peace Officers Standards and Training Academy.

"With being an officer, either you can take it or you can't, it's that simple," she said.