Longmont Animal Control looks out for wildlife welfare

A day in the life of Longmont’s Animal Control officers is more than just chasing down loose dogs in the city. With a vibrant ecosystem and plenty of wildlife, there are opportunities for excitement all over.

On August 23, Officer Allison Rivas was called to Thompson Park with reports of a bat flying around in broad daylight. The little brown bat was not rabid or causing any harm, but flying around in off hours could present a hazard to itself and others if left alone. 

Rivas gently lifted the bat from a tree with a cloth net and encouraged the scared critter into a coffee can for safe keeping, happy to explain every step of the animal rescue to a father watching nearby with his young daughter and even letting the daughter peek at the bat.

Officer Leslie Boyette explained that the department works as a part of Longmont Public Safety to handle any number of domestic animal and wildlife related issues throughout the city. Though Animal Control doesn’t handle pest animals like mice or rats, they handle anything from house pets up to the size of a coyote or dog. Bears, deer and moose are the purview of Colorado Parks & Wildlife.

More than just rescuing cats or catching dogs that are running around off leash, Longmont’s Animal Control helps with raccoons, prairie dogs, mountain lions, bats and the city’s very active and varied population of birds. Longmont is home to many species of raptor, including bald eagles, osprey, hawks, owls and turkey vultures, as well as aquatic birds like cormorants, herons and inland white pelicans.

“We don’t deal with the wildlife if they’re just being wild, only if they are sick, injured or a risk to the public,” Boyette said.

Animal Control officers work from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., spending most of their days patrolling Longmont’s parks for animals in need, waiting for calls to come in. Overnight Public Safety officers will address hazardous calls, from injured wildlife to vicious dogs, but anything that isn’t an emergency will get saved for Animal Control in the morning.

The number of calls depends widely on the season, with more activity in spring and summer than winter. Boyette said fledgling birds falling out of nests and baby raccoons stuck in trash cans become common occurrences in late spring and early summer. Summer is also a busy time for animals with distemper and rabies. 

Animal Control responds to calls about animal bites, especially if the victim was taken to a hospital for treatment. Oftentimes the bite was accidental, according to Officer Sarah Beckwith, caused by rough play or even accidentally sitting or stepping on the pet. The animal must be placed in a ten-day quarantine at the owner’s residence per state regulations, Beckwith said, even if they’ve been proven clear of rabies.

“Obviously part of the time, these bites are from owners breaking up fights with their own dogs,” Boyette said. “Some of these bites are considered provoked, even if it’s because you gave your cat a bath and it didn’t like it.”

Animal Control also counts education and consultations under their duties. When a representative from the J.M. Smucker’s plant called with questions about raccoons around the manufacturing facility, Beckwith recommended they connect with Urban Wildlife Rescue to explore humane solutions to removing their furry visitors. 

Because Animal Control has restrictions to what they can handle directly, they guide residents to seek private companies to manage pests such as squirrels and raccoons in the attic. Animal Control doesn’t make recommendations for those private companies, as the city won’t endorse any one business.

Enforcing the city’s animal-related ordinances is another key part of the job. Beckwith specifically brought up Longmont’s chicken ordinance, which only allows for a person to keep four hens and no roosters within residential areas. Chicken permits have to be purchased from the city through Planning and Development Services, Beckwith said.

Experience with animal care is one of the only mandates to becoming an Animal Control officer, but no formal education is required. Boyette said she works as a veterinary technician, but other officers on the team were drawn to the job by their love of animals and experience with pets at home or on farms. Beckwith had originally gone to school for marketing, she said, but chose to pursue a position with Animal Control instead of sales positions.

Though the daily patrols often lead to catching off-leash dogs or welfare checks on quarantined animals, the officers have also experienced a number of oddities. 

Beckwith recalled an incident where a group of yaks got loose from a local farm, requiring some assistance from their owner, along with Boulder County Parks and Open Space to wrangle them back home. Beckwith also shared a tale of a cat that hitched a ride from Berthoud to Longmont in the underbelly of a truck, unbeknownst to the truck’s owner. The cat was eventually returned to its owner after Beckwith did some investigation through pet lost and found groups on social media.

One of the weirdest calls Beckwith answered in her time with Animal Control was a dog that had possibly been in contact with cocaine. The owner called Animal Control, claiming the dog was unusually aggressive and anxious, and the dog was taken in for medical treatment immediately. Animal Control can only handle the animal-related side of an incident like that, Beckwith said, but information was passed along to other law enforcement officers should further investigation be required.

In September 2020, Boyette responded to a call of a bald eagle acting oddly and swimming near the shore of Lake McIntosh. The eagle had contracted lead poisoning according to Boyette, possibly through eating another bird contaminated with birdshot pellets. The eagle was taken to the Birds of Prey Foundation in Broomfield and was eventually released back to the wild after making a full recovery.

“You see these birds up in a tree and don’t realize how big they are until you’re chasing one on the ground,” Boyette said. 

Boyette’s favorite call after the eagle was when a rare spotted skunk came down from its usual mountain territory, only to get stuck in a Longmont resident’s dryer vents. Striped skunks are much more common in the area, while spotted skunks are much smaller than their common cousins.

“This skunk was running around in the vents like a ferret, and it was so cute,” Boyette said. “It shouldn’t have been down here and we were lucky to catch it in a live trap and help release it back into the wild.”

Longmont Animal Control relies on partnerships with Boulder County Parks and Open Space, Colorado Parks & Wildlife and other area animal control agencies for the calls. The department also works with Longmont Humane Society for care of rescued or recovered animals until their owners can claim them, as well as cremation for deceased animals both wild and domestic. Other local nonprofits that help with rehabilitation and release of wildlife include the Birds of Prey Foundation, Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center and the Colorado Reptile Humane Society.

Both Beckwith and Boyette said they are happy to answer questions from residents when out on patrol. Animal Control also participates in the city’s Ride Along program alongside police officers.

“There’s always this dog catcher stigma, and that’s definitely a part of what we do,” Boyette said. “In the grand scheme of things though, it's just a small part. If someone calls the police and it’s animal related we’re going to be involved. We do a lot of strange things that would surprise people.”