DONALD TRUMP UNSUITABLE TO WORK IN ANIMAL CONTROL

By Neil Burton.

US Republican hopeful Donald Trump claims that a fellow contender for the US presidency would never even get 'elected as Dog Catcher.'

In the United Kingdom the term 'Dog Catcher' has always be seen as an extremely derogatory term to describe a Dog Warden or an Animal Welfare Officer. It is usually used by people ignorant of the actual role of the officer who we will call a Dog Warden due to the plethora of job titles in use.

A UK Dog Warden faces many challenges on a daily basis, the main challenge being that the majority of services are understaffed, underfunded and overworked yet when there is a news worthy incident the Dog Warden can be feted by elected members, senior members of staff and the public they serve for the positive contribution to public safety and animal welfare then being left alone until the next 'positive' incident that shows the council in a good light comes along.

The Dog Warden can also get it in the neck from those who are seeking assistance with a problem and this can lead to investigations where there are two hostile parties to deal with. The skill and knowledge level amongst Dog Wardens can vary as in all professions but there is a minimum level of competency required to enable an officer to work safely and professionally whilst promoting public safety and responsible animal ownership.

Whilst the work can on occasion be thankless, stressful and upsetting, there are always literally hundreds of applications whenever a Dog Warden job is advertised as the job does have the added uncertainty that no two days are ever the same and the work whilst challenging is also rewarding when animals have been helped.

In Australia and the United States of America those municipal officers employed in animal control and animal welfare enforcement have to attend state and nationally recognised training academies to ensure certification in the relevant animal related field they are working in.

In the United Kingdom there is similar certification required but it is dependent on the council employing the officer and whilst the successful candidate is not elected by local residents, the officer does have to have the qualities of compassion, knowledge, empathy and understanding to carry out the role.

Donald Trump on the other hand is rude, offensive, xenophobic, lacking empathy and knowledge and would therefore not proceed through the selection process to reach the interview stage for the job of Dog Warden in the United Kingdom.

The UK National Dog Warden Association has close links with the US National Animal Control Association and the Western Australian Rangers Association and know that both these organisations are highly professional and on a daily basis they really do 'protect and serve' all residents in the areas where they work.

Donald Trump omits with his remarks that in the USA several 'dog catchers' have been killed in the line of duty whilst protecting animals and public safety whether through accidents or as a result of hostile acts.

If anything Donald Trump should have used the comparison that his opponent Mr Rubio would not have been able to work as an Animal Control Officer because possibly Mr Rubio may not have all the attributes required to work in Animal Control.

Yet again Donald Trump uses a throwaway remark to alienate a hard working and dedicated group of animal control professionals not only in the USA but across the world.

Let Donald Trump know that we stand united with our Animal Control friends and colleagues in the USA as well as in Australia and elsewhere by retweeting and sharing this tweet:

@realdonaldtrump I am #notadogcatcher I am a professional Animal Control Officer