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Animal Services – continued <br /> <br />o Review reported animal bites and aggressive incidents; declare dogs potentially <br />dangerous or vicious; make available an appeal hearing for potentially dangerous <br />dog declarations, pursuant to the requirements of NCGS. <br />o Coordinate with Communicable Disease Nurses who are responsible for human risk <br />assessment and advice in rabies exposure cases. <br />• Animal Protection <br />o Investigate animal neglect and cruelty complaints and work with animal owners to <br />achieve compliance with legal requirements. <br />o Seize animals for their protection when necessary and institute appropriate legal <br />action regarding their custody as well as criminal prosecution <br />o Inform and educate owners on proper animal care as requiredby the county’s animal <br />ordinance and North Carolina General Statute. <br />• Community Service <br />o Inform and educate pet owners and others about requirements and responsible pet <br />ownership in the course of normal duties. <br />o Promote responsible pet ownership; faciliate public outreach regarding low-cost <br />rabies vaccination clinics; refer pet owners to the county’s Community Spay/Neuter <br />Program. <br />o Provide basic information regarding wildlife and refer residents to area resources as <br />well as the Wildlife Resource Commission for further assistance (except when there <br />are issues of public health and safety). <br /> <br />FY 2015-16 Outcomes <br />• General Field Services: <br />o Continued to coordinate with Emergency Services staff to obtain portable radios <br />and base station for Animal Control Officers (ACOs) and dispatch services to <br />allow more efficient dispatching, ensure officer safety and improve coordination <br />with County Communications and other agencies. <br />o Began implementing the county’s new Unified Animal Ordinance (effective March <br />1, 2016), based upon extensive staff training and public outreach. <br />• Public Health and Safety: <br />o Investigated rabies exposures and managed all positive rabies cases (including <br />coordination with Communicable Disease Nurses). <br />o Provided public information about the control and prevention of rabies; <br />investigated animal bite reports and conducted confinement for rabies control. <br />o Reviewed each bite case or aggressive incident report to determine if an animal <br />should be declared vicious and/or dangerous and served those declarations in a <br />timely manner. <br />o Implemented procedural changes, in coordination with the county’s Health <br />Director, based upon the recommendations of the 2016 Rabies Compendium, <br />namely, by requiring 4 rather than 6 month quarantines for unvaccinated dogs <br />and cats when there is a rabies exposure and allowing cats and dog that are