Benton County Animal Control Tuesday, February 7, 2006

Deputy Kirk Smith is the only animal control officer working for Benton County. Smith says sometimes he gets so many calls he has to cover the east and west sides of the county on separate days. Smith handles about one-hundred calls a month and says things usually slow down in the winter months, but that hasn`t been the case this year. "When I pick my call log up for the beginning of the day, I`ve usually got a big enough call log that I`ll be doing good to finish my calls for the day." Smith takes care of everything from aggressive dogs and abandoned puppies to wildlife that`s wandered into someone`s home. County resident Kim Faulkenberry says she sees stray dogs on her property all the time and thinks the county needs better animal control. "This is a little bit of an epidemic here because I know in the future we`re going to be getting more strays on our property. They desperately need more help picking up these animals," Faulkenberry says. Deputy Smith admits one officer can`t be everywhere at once. "The biggest issue it causes is a little bit slower response time probably because if I`m down here south of Siloam and I have something happen in Garfield it`s going to be a while before i get there," he says. He says some days he drives over two-hundred-fifty miles. Once he picks up the animals, Smith takes them to the Rogers Humane Society. The Rogers Animal Shelter says the best way to reduce stray animals is to spay and neuter your pet.