This year’s kitten season at the Humane Educational Society of Chattanooga will have extra staffing help.
Thanks to an increase in funding from Hamilton County government, animal protection services hours will be extended to 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day. The increase in hours is needed, animal protection officer Thomas Thacker said, as calls usually slow up around 7 p.m. each day. After normal business hours, officers only respond to emergency situations such as if an animal is injured, sick or aggressive, he said.
Also, the number of full-time officers will double from two to four.
Animal patrol officer Sam D’Amato wears a badge at the Humane Educational Society on Friday, Sept. 4, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. After an increase to the organization’s budget, they are increasing the hours and availability of animal control services.“This will make it a lot better,” said Thacker, who’s been an officer for about five years.
Officers now will have more time to respond to non-emergency calls for animal pickups, officials said. Plus, the increase in officers will mean the two officers won’t be worked as hard and won’t be on call as much. The new system will have officers work four 10-hour shifts, giving them an extra day off. The Humane Society still will have two officers on the road most days, and three on Mondays and Wednesdays.