ISLAND COUNTY SHERIFF: New animal advocacy group calls for change in Island County (WNT)

Rachel Rosen reports in the Whidbey News-Times on a new animal advocacy group, with comments from Island County Sheriff Rick Felici.

An outcry over an egregious animal cruelty case on North Whidbey spawned a new group that is working to improve animal welfare on the island through stricter county codes and stronger enforcement.

They Said It

Island County Sheriff Rick Felici explained that it’s unlikely that county animal control would ever have equipment like horse trailers or facilities for livestock because of the rarity of the need and the cost….

“Usually, we’ve just been able to reach out to citizen volunteers to borrow stuff for moving large animals,” he said.

Felici said the department has historically focused on dogs, which is why county codes and policies are sparse when it comes to other animals. He agreed the code should be updated. The sheriff said he wants to build a modern and functioning animal control program, and he said that starts with hiring an animal control officer. The position has been vacant for more than a year.

“If there’s a silver lining in this, we didn’t have a lot of applicants for the animal control position,” he said. “We probably doubled the number of applicants after (the Finch case).”