Protecting your pups

Every day, Mountain Brook Animal Control officer Preston Sloan receives calls that a dog has gotten loose or is roaming a neighborhood. Some are escape artists, digging under fences or unlocking gates that lead to freedom; others may have simply wandered through an open door into the unknown.

“Dogs want to get out,” he said. “That’s what they do, that’s what they’re best at.”

While Animal Control is only able to deal with calls about lost dogs because of a city ordinance, Sloan had some suggestions to keep their four-legged family members safe.

In the past, he noticed an uptick in calls around 3 p.m. or during the summer, when children aren’t in school. He said he isn’t sure if doors are just accidentally left open, but owners should monitor where their pets are to keep them safe, which may just be indoors. If they prefer to be outside, Sloan mentioned two other options: an underground electric fence or an actual fence.

“I do really love the electric fence collars. You just don’t realize when the battery dies on them,” he said.

Owners need to be aware when their electronics might not be working because after a while, the dogs will learn if they can venture beyond their barriers, Sloan said.

“It’s best to have an actual fence,” he said. “But still, then they dig. Or climb.”

Sometimes, owners will have to resort to a fence that extends underground to protect their pups.

Owners should also maintain control over their pets even when they’re out on walks together.

“The biggest problem we have in this city is people walking their dogs without a leash,” Sloan said, which is illegal. And ,anything a dog does while off-leash is the owner’s responsibility.

“Your dog might be completely trained, but even the most well-trained dog ever is still unpredictable.” Sloan said.

Regardless if the dog is mainly indoors or outdoors, Sloan said owners should make sure each dog has some form of identification in the event their dog gets out. While collars are common, sometimes the tags break off, so he prefers the collars that have an embroidered phone number or address. Microchipping is also a beneficial practice that can be done at your local veterinarian’s office and provides identification and contact information with just a quick scan.

“I would actually even say do that over a collar, because that’s permanent,” he said.

If someone calls in a lost dog, Sloan usually asks for some general information and a picture of the missing pet to accompany a social media post, which he said is a great tool.

“That is really the fastest way we get ahold of people if they don’t have a microchip or collar, and I love that the city is so interactive with Animal Control,” he said. “And everyone is on the ‘What’s Happening in Mountain Brook’ page, so usually they’re good about getting the word out pretty fast.”

If a resident happens to see a dog out for a stroll by itself, he asked that they call him, even if they return the dog themselves. Sloan also said not to be afraid to call him about a loose dog. 

“We don’t euthanize any of the dogs that we catch,” he said. Instead, the dogs are kept for 14 days for the owner to pick up, and if they are not claimed, they are transferred to Liberty Animal Hospital until they find a home.

“I don’t know of another place around here that does that,” Sloan said.

To contact Mountain Brook Animal Control, call 802-3844 or email sloanp@mtnbrook.org.