A former Severstal employee, Van Smith, 38, found his true calling, after successfully applying to an ad for his dream job.
The Clay County resident and West Point native, Smith, who has two children — Walker, 7, and Morgan, 4, — with his wife, Kim, has been one of Columbus” and Lowndes County”s two animal control officers since February.
How did you get into this business?
I wanted to do it for a long, long time. I”ve just never had an opportunity to do it. I”ve always liked animals, dealing with animals. We”ve always raised dogs, German Shepherds. It”s just up my alley and I can”t believe I got lucky enough to get it.
What part of the job do you find most rewarding?
Rescuing dogs that have been neglected or finding lost animals. When you find the owner of it, that”s really rewarding.
And what is the most challenging?
Dealing with the people of neglected animals or people that don”t want to follow the law or ordinances on animals.
(Also,) when you see (animals) abused or neglected, it”s hard on you. It”s not their fault; they can”t help it. It”s the people”s fault.
What percentage of calls received by animal control are related to dangerous or vicious animals?
We only average about 15 calls a week. I”d say 70 percent, maybe. The thing about that is, though, sometimes when you get there, the animals aren”t vicious. People just think they are because they don”t like animals or dogs. We get a lot of wild animals, stray cats or dogs, people don”t claim and you see them walking down the street. And lost animals are hard to find; I think sometimes they”re stolen, but you can”t prove it.
Are there any misconceptions held about the animal control department you”d like to address or clarify?
A lot of people, from what I gather, don”t think we”re the actual law. They think we work for the Humane Society and not the Police Department. We enforce the law just like the police do. We can seize dogs; we can write citations. We”re working on that, though. It”s come a long ways. Columbus has really enforced the law on animals.
Do you have any advice for helping pets cope with the high heat of summer?
Make sure they”re under shade and have lots of water. If you”re going to walk them or play with them, try to do it in early evening.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
