As part of our continuing education series for volunteers, this past weekend we were lucky enough to be able to host Officer Brian Boman from the Pierce County Sheriff’s Animal Control Department. Brian has over 20 years of experience in Animal Control, and is a certified Animal Cruelty Investigator and a Nationally Certified Equine Abuse Investigator, just to name a few of his many credentials. We at SAFE have worked personally with Brian over the years on a number of cases, but many of us, even those who work closely with the seizures, don’t know all of the ins-and-outs of what goes into the work Animal Control does before the case gets to us. Brian was a wealth of information, providing a ton of insight into the entire process, from how to submit a complaint, how Animal Control follows up on the complaint and gathers information to form a case, what constitutes cruelty versus neglect, and so, so much more. He fielded all of our many questions, and at the end of the presentation, left us with a much better understanding of what goes in to being an Animal Control officer — the codes he helps enforce and the start-to-finish process of giving a voice to those creatures who have been mistreated.
We are so thankful to Brian for his time, and for all of the volunteers who attended. It is our hope that the class provided our volunteers with more knowledge on how to proceed when they see an animal in need, and also what it takes to get that animal assistance. It can be a very long arduous process before they make it to us at SAFE, but we are so grateful to the great ACOs we work alongside like Brian who help to get these horses the help they require. And as always, we are SO thankful to the volunteers who show up day in and day out to help continue the work that Animal Control started. Without this partnership, far fewer horses would be safe.
