Published: July 03, 2008 11:30 pm         

City animal shelter holds grand opening

ROCKWALL — Getting know each other last week were Leighann Noel, of Rockwall, and Rex, of Rockwall.

Leighann, a music major at the University of North Texas, fell for friendly, intelligent Rex right away, she said. Rex wagged his tail, so evidently the terrier mix liked her too, probably for those same qualities.

They hit it off Friday at the new City of Rockwall Animal Adoption Center, visiting in the “Get to Know You” outdoor grassy yard.

But when Noel, and her mother Kathy, left, Rex had to stay over the weekend waiting for a Monday doctor visit.

So on Saturday, when about hundred people visited the new City of Rockwall Animal Adoption Center for the grand opening, Rex was one of the fellows with a big sign “Adopted” on his roomy pen.

But other tail waggers in the pens had signs that read, “Ready for Adoption.” or “Not Ready for Adoption.” They and the humans peering at them from the other side of the glass, looked longingly at one another as grand opening ceremonies for the spacious bright shelter continued in the lobby.

Animal services director, Chris Valentine, loves the new shelter, which is located on Airport Road, between downtown and FM 549.

Animal services has been on Airport Road, but not visible; an afterthought space behind the city service center.

Now, the clean, bright, and hygienic building is easy to spot and access from Airport Road.

It has three air conditioning systems, one for the people side, another for the animals, and another for the quarantine area, so diseases are not spread. The old location was not temperature controlled for the animals.

“There are no parasites or bugs and it is safer for customers as well,” said Jeffrey Widmer, director of building inspections, under which animal services falls.

Valentine started 22 years ago as Rockwall’s only animal control officer, and in that time she’s seen the number of strays lessen significantly. “People are a lot more responsible and better at getting dogs spayed and neutered,” she said.

She and the staff recount success stories they’ve had over the years, and expect that number to rise dramatically in the new shelter.

As she and animal control officers Manny Salazar, Randy Carothers talked on Friday, they recalled a Labrador retriever Valentine rescued two years ago. It is now a drug dog in Waxahachie. Valentine said a dog could be a “real knucklehead or its a knucklehead who with a lot of effort into it can funnel its energy.” Billy, the high-energy lab, rounded up her goats. “I could point to the goat and say, ‘get that one’,” she said. Cap Evans, another animal control officer, worked with Billy; he is trained to certify and test dogs in temperament. “Cap knows what he is looking for,” Valentine said.

“People bring them (dogs) in because they are frustrated with them,” she said, yet, it is the dog who is frustrated with getting no socialization, being lonely and confined to a crate all day.

Or on tether. “People ask me, ‘why are you working so hard to get rid of the tether law?’,” she said. “You get on a chain all day and try it,” she said. “Most of them are way heavier than they need to be,” she said.

Salazar recalled a successful adoption from a year ago. He did not believe they could place the “really really old” blind dachshund. “It was funny looking and not attractive at all.” But a mother and daughter came, and the mother fell in love with the dachshund, he said.

Of course, not all animals are adopted, and euthanization is part of the job of animal control officer.

What keeps them motivated?

“Compassion. Truly caring about something is not something you can fake,” said Salazar. “It is so much more than just saying, ‘I love animals, I have four dogs,’ he said.

Salazar had not even worked with animals prior to coming to the shelter; it is his deeply caring nature that Valentine immediately sensed upon meeting him. “I just loved his personality; he loves kids. I think he came to us for a reason,” she said.

Caring for the animals through thick and thin bonds the staff.

“It is fabulous. We are like a family — we are a family,” said officer Connie Painter, for whom animal care is a passion, she said. A quick hug for, and the allowing of time and space for an employee to gather their feelings, are part of the family traditions, she said. She noted that probably every officer has had a cry at some point.

Valentine was vehement in noting the passion of animal officers for the creatures, and their duty. One time, at a roadside as she prepared to euthanize a car-mangled dog missing its lower jaw, and covered with ants, after first attempting to gather it up for rescue and finding that futile, a passer by stopped and told her, “I couldn’t do what you do, I love animals too much.” “That is not fair,” Valentine said. “It is not fair for someone to blame us because we are stepping up to the plate,” she said.

Chris began her career as an animal cruelty investigator, and said there is not too much of that in the county. Much of what she investigates are simply cases where an owner needs education.

Education of owners, and spaying and neutering of animals is the surest way to reduce the chances of a pet being unwanted.

Michael Kitkoski, who served on the committee to help sell the 2005 bond which included the animal shelter, is very pleased that the education room of the shelter is included. It had been considered to be dropped, in order to fit the shelter into the 1.3 million allotted for it. The shelter was funded with money left over from funding Ralph Hall Parkway, he said.

He said he toured one shelter where birthday parties could be booked in the education room, and the attendees bring presents for the animals.

The City’s Animal Adoption Center is truly a present for the animals and the staff who care for them. Having air conditioning, a bright, clean and healthy location, not having bugs and degrading surroundings, and being visible and accessible to the public make Rockwall’s newest public space both animal and people friendly, just like the staff who works there.