Action line 80914 - Animal control

  • Published
  • By Anonymous
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  Complaint:

I was recently walking my dog when a stray dog suddenly appeared and, without provocation, bit my dog.

I immediately called the LE Desk and informed them of the situation and was told they often receive after duty hour calls for strays but all they can do is call Animal Control who is responsible for catching the dogs. He added that calls to Animal Control after 4:30 p.m. usually go unanswered and they do not have a standby representative.

A Security Forces patrol responded to my call and called the LE Desk to get Animal Control immediately. The LE Desk called back stating Animal Control decided they were not coming out.

The thought that here was an aggressive stray animal threatening the safety of the community and Animal Control would not respond appalled me.

This is not the first time this has happened. A child had recently been bitten and, according to the LE Desk, Animal Control did not respond and would not respond until morning.

While there may be an explanation, Animal Control's failure to respond is inexcusable and must be studied, corrected and monitored before another person or family pet is harmed.

Response:

First, I'm sorry this attack happened, and I hope your dog is OK. Stray dogs and cats are captured in accordance with IABI-101, Control of Animals on Incirlik Air Base. The 39 CES Pest Management section is responsible for removing stray animals from the base and/or returning lost pets to their rightful owners as quickly as possible. You were incorrectly informed: we do have a 24-hour response capability to capture these animals but the key is keeping visual contact with the animal. Let me explain the process.

When a stray dog or cat bites or scratches an individual on Incirlik Air Base the parties involved must contact CE Service Call at 676-7008. This number is manned 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. During regular duty hours, 0730 -1630, Monday thru Friday, CE Service Call will dispatch Pest Management personnel who will respond to the area where the stray animal was sighted. If a dog or cat is considered by pest management personnel to be "Too Aggressive," the on-call contracted Turkish veterinarian will be called to the scene to aid pest management personnel in the capture of the animal. If after duty hours, CE Service Call will send a DO-IT-NOW (DIN) truck. The DIN mechanic will respond to the scene to put "eyes on" the stray in question. If the DIN mechanic finds the stray, they will keep "eyes on" the stray and recall pest management personnel to come capture the animal. If the DIN mechanic is unable to locate the stray, they will report the location the stray was last sighted, and on the next duty day pest management will set traps in the area to capture the animal. If the stray animal is caught, it will be taken to the Stray Animal Control Facility.

In your case -- after hours-- the DIN responder couldn't locate the stray dog, so traps were set the next day. Thankfully, a dog fitting the description was quickly captured and removed from base. The DIN responder did not make contact with you which is why you were unaware they tried to locate the animal. We have tasked them to make contact with the caller in the future to ensure they know a response did occur.