A: Animal Control is operated by The Cheyenne Animal Shelter, which is a 501 c 3 non-profit organization governed by an independent Board of Directors. However, the Shelter contracts with City of Cheyenne and Laramie  County to provide animal control serves for our community. Our officers adhere to the laws and ordinances set forth by the State of Wyoming, Laramie County and the City of Cheyenne.

A: Animal Control officers handle a variety of nuisance complaints including barking dogs to dogs running at large; dog bites and animal attacks, animal welfare checks to lost and injured animals. We check on dogs left in hot cars and investigate animal cruelty cases as well as cases of hoarding animals. Some situations reach as high as felony charges for animal cruelty. Animal Control officers assist outside agencies such as the Cheyenne or Pine Bluffs Police Departments, the Laramie County Sheriff’s Departments, Wyoming Highway Patrol, local fire departments and Wyoming Game and Fish. We are not authorized to arrest suspects, but we conduct investigations and assist with evidence in the prosecution of animal cruelty cases.

A: We have two officers on duty working a shift from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, but one of those officers is always on-call for emergencies after hours. ACOs have to be especially mindful of responding to all calls based on differing levels of urgency, manpower, and coverage. Where some calls can be as far as sixty miles from base, especially during after-hours coverage, it requires another officer to be notified for standby while the responding officer leaves the greater area of impact where the highest frequency of calls are generated.

A: Currently, the Animal Control Unit consists of a total of four full-time officers, one part-time and one alternate officer, with an average of two officers on shift per day.

A: We are involved in as many as 40-50 animal cruelty investigations per year.

A: If a felony is involved without conflict of other crimes intersecting the case, we will investigate, take our findings to the District Attorney’s office and see how they wish to proceed. In some cases, Police or Sheriff may arrest as in a full custodial arrest; or warrants for an arrest may be issued by the District Attorney in which case any sworn law enforcement officer, upon an encounter, can arrest.

Minimally, the citations are set ten days out from the date when the officer charges for the crime. However, the time until the defendant’s initial appearance could be slightly longer depending upon various factors such as waiting for all restitution costs to be finalized. In the interim between the charging date and the final disposition of the court, the defendant is required to pay all care and kenneling costs associated with the case starting with the initial impound fee of $75 plus $25 per day in care costs. If the defendant is found guilty, he or she is subject to fines as high at $750 per animal, plus court costs of $55. In some cases, an additional fee of $150 is attached to the fines for the State Victim’s Fund.

Further, if the defendant is found guilty, he or she may be required to permanently surrender the animal to the Shelter; placed on probation for six to twelve months; and/or prohibited from owning animals in Laramie County for up to one year.

A: We are not seeing the numbers of puppies that we used to, but we are still overwhelmed with kittens and cats. We try to save every animal we can, but we struggle with the feral cat and neonatal populations during kitten season. Because of this, we are constantly looking for more foster homes to help save the under-aged kittens, as well as funding to expand programs such as our Feral Cat Program, TNR, Barn Cat Program, and other community resources as funding allows.

A: This is one of most challenging aspects of our job. It is a multi-faceted and complex endeavor to handle hoarding cases. Once a situation is assessed and determined to be unhealthy and unlawful, we must go through the necessary steps to seize the animals and bring them into the Shelter for medical exams, quarantine for possible disease, and placement into protective custody, pending legal action.

Based on circumstances, animals may be in the Shelter’s care for weeks, if not months. This costs the Shelter thousands of dollars in which we may never receive restitution. We work with the hoarders and try to reason with them to surrender the animals so we may sterilize and release them for adoption into loving homes.

This process has proven to be difficult to say the least. We work with local agencies to help assess the deplorable conditions found in the hoarders’ homes, assist in presenting evidence of hoarding and animal neglect/abuse in court, and we must monitor these individuals on-going to prevent recidivism. We do have compassion for these individuals; they are typically in denial about their ability to provide adequate care for their animals and their intent is not necessarily to harm them, but find themselves overwhelmed.

A: Bite cases involve several considerations. First and foremost is the victim. If the victim is a person or a dog, we immediately want to know if the biting dog is vaccinated against rabies. Pending that discovery, our next consideration moves to public safety.

We want to know if this is a first offense or an animal with a repetitive history in biting. In owner/victim cases, we often allow the animal to remain in the custody of the owner and place the animal on a “home quarantine” if it is current on vaccinations.

Depending on other factors, especially if the animal is NOT vaccinated, we will bring the animal to the Shelter for a medical observation quarantine. Finally, bite cases often involve medical restitution costs. In those cases, the owner of the animal will be charged for public nuisance or harboring a vicious animal and MUST appear in Circuit Court. It is not uncommon, if the owner is found guilty, for the animal to be permanently surrendered to the Shelter. In addition, the owner will be fined and made to pay all out of pocket expenses, specifically the medical costs associated with the bite.

A: There is no law in place or City ordinance marking a temperature line at this time. However, shelter from the elements must be provided for a domestic animal being kept outside. It is up to the ACO’s field discretion to decide if an animal is suffering and in danger due to extreme weather. The ACO will discuss the situation with the pet owner, and if no owner is present, may confiscate the animal and take it to the Shelter for evaluation and protection.

Wyoming Statute 6-3-203 (B) is clear, that every animal owner must provide their animals with the proper food, drink, and protection from the weather; and any owner that cruelly abandons the animal, or in the case of immediate, obvious, serious illness or injury, fails to provide the animal with appropriate care, is subject to penalties for animal cruelty.

A: You should call Animal Control, but you may also call the police if traffic is being impeded by the situation. The police can manage traffic and may be able to respond sooner as we cover a wider area.

ACOs strongly suggest you do not enter into traffic to rescue a dog. Typically, the dog will run blind into traffic without considering the movement of vehicles when the dog is being pursued. Of even greater concern is the individual pursuing the dog in traffic where a strong possibility exists of being struck by a vehicle.

A: We will try to find the owner as soon as possible, especially when the vehicle is parked in front of a store or business. If we must open the vehicle, we will typically use specialized tools to gain access with minimum or no damage to the vehicle. If the circumstance warrants emergency entry and the vehicle cannot be accessed by use of our tools, we will gain entry through the window. In such cases, the owner of the pet is responsible for any damages to the vehicle.

If the owner does not return to the vehicle and the animal is taken to the Shelter for care, a reclaim fee may be charged. If there is a case for animal cruelty or neglect, and the case goes to court, the owner may be charged up to $750 for the violation.

A: Off leash City fines are the same as dog-at-large fines for the City. In the County, the language is a bit more permissive: “A dog or cat off the premises or property of the owner except when said dog is in the immediate accompaniment and control of the owner or some other competent person and obedient to that person’s command.”

The officer always has the option to charge for “at large” violation through the Circuit Court even if the offense took place in the City of Cheyenne. Fines in the County are higher for “at large” violations than in the City.

A: Yes, in the City all pets must be vaccinated against rabies. “Pets” in the City are defined as dogs, cats, or ferrets. In the City, the animal must be vaccinated starting from four months old. In the County, the animal must be vaccinated starting from three months old. The County does not designate ferrets being required for rabies vaccination. Exemptions in the City and County are considered for older animals or ones with compromised health, but only with a letter from a veterinarian.

A: Yes, we understand how contentious it can be to report someone, especially a close neighbor, and we will retain your anonymity. However, if the ACO is NOT a witness to a crime and the only witness is the complaining party, the complainant’s identity will be revealed according to the Constitution’s 6th Amendment which includes the right of the accused to confront their accusers. For this reason, some cases do not make it into court where the complainant is in fear of disclosure.