Gila County Animal Care and Control has a dedicated staff, but there’s too much work -- and they’re hiring. Find the complete job description, and convenient online application, at gilacountyaz.gov.

It can be difficult work – but is it rewarding?

Yes, according to department head John Castaneda in a recent Silver Belt interview (see excerpt below).

And yes again, agrees Animal Care and Control Officer Felicia Ihrig. She earned a round of applause from Gila County’s Board of Supervisors at their recent meeting, where she was recognized for her dedication and professionalism – following a letter sent by a local business owner.

In part it reads: “for her remarkable contributions to Gila County citizens. Whether offering assistance by phone or in person, her zeal in dealing with the public is unwavering.

Through social media, Felicia has demonstrated an innate ability to provide educational outreach to all of Gila County. Her posts provide informative snippets about the many resources available through the department - from spay/neuter clinics, lost pets, those available for adoption, relocation services and more. Felicia also shares engaging staff photos along with special event acknowledgements such as birthdays or anniversaries. Her new family adoption posts with photos and videos are most enjoyable and tend to be quite popular! The biggest success of her social media efforts is a phenomenal number of reunited pets with their owners. Many thanks to Felicia for her dedication and to her Supervisor, John C. Castaneda, for the kind of leadership that allows the department to flourish.”

Yes - - We’re Hiring!

Gila County Animal Care and Control needs to fill a vacant position on the small staff. Salary ranges from $27,987-$38,483. Could this job lead to a career? Just ask John Castaneda, Animal Care and Control’s Program Manager, who marked 26-years on the job.

He started as a temporary officer – and earned promotion to a permanent job, then manager.

“Without a doubt, my favorite part of the job is when lost animals are reunited with their owners, and when the efforts of our staff are successful and stray dogs find new homes,” said Castaneda, a lifelong Globe resident – and avid outdoorsman.

“Who makes a good animal control officer? The job offers a good mix of indoor work at our office and animal shelter, balanced with opportunities to be out patrolling all the unincorporated areas of Gila County – investigating reports of stray or injured dogs, helping neighbors resolve nuisance animal issues -- enforcing county laws. On any given day our staff might investigate reports of animal neglect or cruelty, barking dogs and nuisance complaints. We need job applicants who can competently interview local residents when they call us with a report – and should have basic ‘people skills’ to talk with dog owners and help amicably resolve neighbor disputes.

Animal Control Officers also write reports, issue citations and prepares court documents.

Less frequently we need to collect specimens to be submitted to the state lab for rabies tests. And yes, there’s office work too: selling annual dog licenses, renting traps – cleaning and disinfecting vehicles, kennels and equipment.”

Read the complete interview at: https://coppercountrynews.com/article/got-what-it-takes-to-work-in-animal-control