Fisher County Sheriff Simon Wade has been making the rounds in recent weeks, speaking to local officials and encouraging residents to participate in a community working group, a committee for devising a solution to the county’s ongoing at-large animal problems.
Sheriff Wade is asking the community for civic-minded volunteers to join him in addressing Fisher County’s animal control issues.
While the sheriff has not asked any entity for funding yet, he is taking action to find a solution to the widespread problem with officials, saying there would be costs associated with a remedy. Wade is also looking to put together a working group to review and possibly establish a countywide animal control program.
Wade has been making plenty of waves since his appointment in July, but his focus in recent weeks has been addressing what he sees as a countywide problem that deserves attention. He spoke to commissioners last week, explaining that in the three months since his appointment, one of the most reoccurring issues is animal related.
The Sheriff explained to the county court last week how the numerous calls regarding stray animals were putting a strain on officer time. Wade said he has been looking for possible solutions, speaking with advisors with the Texas Association of Counties (TAC) for guidance.
“I’m trying to figure out a way to make this animal control program or solution work,” said Wade, speaking to commissioners about appointing a citizen-based committee in the effort to establish a countywide animal control program.
“All over the county, we’ve got dog problems. You guys know about the dog problems better than I do,” said Wade.
The sheriff said the calls come in daily, sometimes several times per day. He said while several are from people seeking answers and solutions, many others desire officers to take immediate action.
“My deputies are not going into Roby and Rotan and shooting dogs,” said Wade, generally responding to citizen requests to have officers dispatch stray animals. Wade added that he wanted to avoid situations where prior administrations had deputies make poor decisions when responding to animal complaints.
Former Fisher County Deputy Erik Reynolds was terminated earlier this year in April after an internal investigation raised questions about the officer. Although officials claimed the cause for Reynolds’ termination was unrelated, investigators were also looking into claims that Reynolds killed a Roby woman’s dog and dumped the carcasses off a county bridge.
He was indicted in April on charges of cruelty to nonlivestock animals and deadly conduct in discharging his firearm, each a third-degree felony. Reynolds pleaded innocent to the charges, and his trial was set to begin next week but was recently canceled for undisclosed reasons.
Wade said with everyone calling the sheriff’s department looking for answers, he is hoping to get a combined effort from county and city officials as well as community leaders and active citizens.
“Help me help you,” said Wade, touching on the struggles that rural communities face regarding stray animals and there are many lessons to be learned from prior failures. The Sheriff said one of the reasons animal control in Roby and Rotan has been unsuccessful is due to lack of funding for the programs.
“It wasn’t funded right, the facility wasn’t big enough, and the vehicle wasn’t there. There were a bunch of little problems,” said Wade.
He said Rotan’s animal control “Needed to be bigger than it was,” pointing out that the program’s failure was likely no fault of the animal control officer. He said Rotan’s facilities were too small and ill-equipped to address the problem, and the program was drastically underfunded.
“We need the building and the vehicles before we start searching for the personnel,” said Wade, “and if we set this up correctly, we can set it up for success.”
Wade also spoke to the Rotan City Council last Thursday, explaining that what he would like to see is a program that could respond to complaints no matter where they originate. He informed council members that he would like to see a new centralized facility, possibly located on the grounds of the Fisher County Airport, which is owned by the county.
The initial construction and startup are anticipated to be expensive, something Wade has not shied away from. He said it doesn’t need to be a million- dollar facility, although it should be large enough to accommodate 50 to 75 dogs.
“I think with collective efforts between Rotan, Roby, and the county, we can probably put something together that is menial and set up for success,” said Wade, adding that while the initial costs — and possibly contribution to ongoing costs — could be divided according to an interlocal agreement between entities, Wade said he felt the program should be largely county funded.
“I’m trying to fix a problem that is probably bigger than Rotan and bigger than Roby, and it’s probably county wide,” said Wade, adding that animal control officers would operate under the Fisher County Sheriff’s Department. “This will always be a county program from here on out.”
Various animal-related incidents have occurred within each of the county precincts, ranging from calves being killed to dogs attacking residents, often requiring treatment at local hospitals. While county commissioners have yet granted funding for the program nor have agreed to the proposed location, officials agree it is a countywide problem and gave Wade the green light to establish a working group to develop a plan.
Wade said while he has some general ideas for how the program could be structured, he needs the community's assistance. He hopes to incorporate the expertise from professionals regarding some aspects of the program, such as euthanasia protocols or rabies control as well as the perspective of rural and urban residents.
“I’d like to get a bunch of people together, have a meeting, and come up with a viable course of action,” said Wade, saying that once a plan was put together, the committee’s chairman could report back to the court with a proposal.
While seeking the advice of veterinarians, as well as public health officials, Wade added that he is looking for not only community leaders but anyone and everyone who might want to contribute to a successful program getting off the ground, as he, and others, feel it are certainly needed. “Let's get together and figure out how to do this the right way instead of throwing bandaids at it.”
Once formed, the committee would likely meet in the conference room at the Fisher County Courthouse. A date for the first meeting has not yet been set but is anticipated in the weeks to come. More information will be made available as discussions progress.