Springfield, MO — Part of the problem surrounds the animal control department. It used to be where the calls for vicious animals come in from Greene County but not anymore. All the county’s calls go straight to the sheriff’s office when an animal attacks because of budget cuts. “It’s been a little overwhelming,” said Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott, “We had two calls just yesterday.”  But because he’s the sheriff and not an animal control officer, he says his deputies have no choice when it comes to a vicious animal. “We really are not capable of capturing an animal, the only thing we can do is kill one if it’s being aggressive or cause an issue where it’s actively biting someone,” said Arnott.

It’s a job the sheriff’s department has been voluntarily doing after the county cut funding for animal control. It’s a job the sheriff calls a dis-service to the community.

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