Animal

Animal-control officer knows `when something doesn't like me'
Kalamazoo Gazette
Sunday, February 11, 2007

By Chris Killian
Special to the Gazette

Most people would run away from the animals Deborah Themins encounters.

But it's her job to run toward them.

The factory-worker-turned-animal-control-officer for Kalamazoo County Animal Services and Enforcement has nearly seen it all in her five years on the job, from growling, aggressive dogs to exotic animals that broke free from their pens.

``I love my job,'' she said. ``When I was in the factory, there was a lot of back-stabbing. But at this job at least I know when something doesn't like me.''

On a recent morning, Themins gets two assignments: There's a woman who's been holding a cat that was wandering her neighborhood and she can no longer take care of it. And there's a complaint about a pit bull terrier living in a doghouse not suitable for the cold weather.

Themins hops in her truck and sets a Global Positioning System device that gives her directions.

Trying to find a place for a passenger to sit in Themins' truck is difficult. It's filled with every tool she would need to find, coax, capture -- even reward -- animals she has been put in charge of catching.

In between the driver and passenger seats is her Snappy Snare -- a long aluminum tube that quickly snaps a noose around an animal's neck.

A leather leash lies on the floorboard. In the armrest is a canister of pepper spray, next to a large Maglite flashlight. County and city maps are scattered about. Bags of dog treats are wedged between the seats.

It's a relatively light day; some days she captures as many as 15 animals. The cat was handed over and later taken back to the shelter to join other cats up for adoption. The pit bull was found to be in good condition, with Themins advising its owner to provide fresh water and to put tags on the dog, which was not registered.

The day's runs were a far cry from some of the more challenging assignments she has had over the years.

On one occasion, her charge was to capture a family's pet emu, a large bird akin to an ostrich.

At 6 feet tall and with legs that pack a kick powerful enough to kill a human, the bird had to be lassoed with Themins' Snappy Snare.

``That was a challenge,'' she said. ``But after I got him, I just walked him like a dog.''

On another job, she had to capture a 95-pound male pit bull terrier that was roaming the streets. The dog was ``very aggressive'' she said, growling and baring teeth from a snout attached to a head ``the size of a basketball.''

``He really didn't want me there,'' she said.

Using her truck, voice commands and even a garbage can, she eventually was able to corner the dog, put her Snappy Snare around his neck and take him away.

``When his owner came and got him, he couldn't believe that I was able to get his dog,'' she said.

But she's humble when she talks about her work, insisting she is practicing her love for animals when she is out on a job. However, she smiles -- maybe even brags a bit -- when she discusses her success rate.

``I get almost all of them,'' she said. ``I'm at least 95 percent.''