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City, county take steps to help spare animal control officers from virus exposure

Knoxville, Knox County announced the changes Monday in conjunction with Young-Williams Animal Center.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — City and county animal control officers are taking steps to help thwart possible on-the-job exposure to COVID-19 -- and that includes now only responding to emergency calls such as a dog bite or an aggressive animal.

The municipalities announced the change Monday in conjunction with the Young-Williams Animal Center.

The goal is to reduce the human contact that animal control officers will have as they do their jobs.

For example, Knoxville Police Department animal control officers are only going to respond to high-priority or emergency calls "for the time being," according to KPD spokesman Scott Erland.

Such a call would include an animal that threatens a person or bites a person. If a police officer needs help at a scene with an animal, then an animal control officer also will still be dispatched.

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But other kinds of calls -- such as animals on the loose -- that control officers often handle won't be answered in person under the change, Erland said.

"KPD AC officers will limit their response to those types of calls and only respond to loose animal calls if the animal is in immediate danger or poses a possible threat to public safety," Erland said.

Also, if you are supposed to get a special permit for, say, keeping a unique kind of animal, you'll have to seek that by mail rather than in person.

Those permits can be sought by mailing the proper request to KPD, c/o Animal Control, 800 Howard Baker Jr. Ave., Knoxville, TN 37915.

Other steps the governments and agency will follow include:

  • If a call involves a dog bite, animal control officers will go to the scene/home rather than a hospital to avoid any possible exposure to COVID-19 at a medical facility.
  • Animal control officers will work over the phone to help callers locate a pet’s owner in non-emergency cases.
  • If no owner can be located and the animal is not in danger, officers will connect callers willing to temporarily foster with Young-Williams Animal Center’s Pet Resource Center for needed food and supplies. If the caller can’t foster, the situation will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.
  • To limit person-to-person contact, animal control officers are encouraging people who find lost pets to use social media, post fliers and alert neighbors before calling the shelter.
  • To protect employees and the public, all essential visits to Young-Williams Animal Center to reclaim lost pets, foster or adopt MUST be by appointment. Go to our website at www.young-williams.org or call (865) 215-6599 to make an appointment.
  • Young-Williams Animal Center is not accepting pets given up by owners because that requires person-to-person contact and poses a safety risk. For emergencies, call 865-363-6702.

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