Trumbull County Humane Agents overwhelmed with cases and calls
WARREN, Ohio - Humane agents in Trumbull County say they are overwhelmed with the amount of calls and cases they’re dealing with right now. Whether it be dogs left in the heat or dozens of cats living in deplorable conditions, the rescues seem to never end.
“I had a call this morning for 17 cats. I had another call yesterday for eight cats,” Fabian Pike, the Chief Humane Officer Trumbull County said. “You never know, I took a peacock a few days ago.”
For Pike, his calendar is full of court dates and hearings with file after file on his computer of open cases his small team is investigating.
At any given time they could be working on just under a hundred cases of alleged animal cruelty. It's no small task removing animals from homes in deplorable conditions, gathering evidence, bringing animals to vet appointments and going to court dates. The process of prosecuting isn’t swift either. The agents can file charges within two years of a case opening, sometimes taking just that long.
“We do not want to submit something and then the individuals that were actually committing the act of cruelty get their animals back,” Chief Pike said. “We have to enforce that law.”
But just as one case closes a handful more open.
“They're overwhelming sometimes. Sometimes this phone, I've got off and I know that it's rang four times already,” Chief Pike said.
Even through 70 hour work weeks and the most abominable sights they ever seen, the agents vow to power through.
“Our very mission is if we see an injured animal we're on it,” Chief Pike said. “Keep calling, keep giving us those tips because without their help we can't save as many as we do.”
Pike said the best way for people to help the agents is to volunteer to care for an animal, adopt or send donations to the Animal Welfare League of Trumbull County.