Animal Control Shelter

Animal Control & Shelter

Sitka Police Department

SITKA ANIMAL SHELTER MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Sitka Animal Shelter and the Sitka Animal Control Division is to improve the quality of life in the City and Borough of Sitka by providing safety to the citizens and animals, preserving the health of the citizens, and care of the animals.

The Sitka Animal Shelter provides a comprehensive and compassionate service to the animals of Sitka, temporary care and safe shelter, placement and education for the dignity and well being of all animals, and to respect wildlife.

Animal Control Services

The Sitka Animal Control Department is a division of the Sitka Police Department. Animal Control is responsible for upholding and enforcing regulations (ordinances) regarding the treatment and control of animals in the City and Borough of Sitka. Animal Control ordinances serve three purposes: 1) protection of people, 2) protection of property, and 3) protection of animals.

Animal Control means not only protecting people from the nuisance of roaming, uncontrolled animals, but also protecting pets and wild animals in their habitats.

Animal control solutions begin with people

There is one Animal Control Officer currently working through the Sitka Police Department. The ACO is also responsible for the Sitka Animal Shelter functions

Animal Control Services include, but are not limited to:

Animal rescue
Compliant investigation
Animal cruelty investigation
Animal Ambulance
Animal quarantine
Limited wildlife management

Shelter News;

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Groundbreaking	Cement pour	Frame work	Ready for roof

As of Monday June 2nd we await the installation of the flooring.

On Wednesday June 4th the flooring is scheduled to be installed. The doors and finish work can be completed after the flooring is down. The interior has been painted and a small storage area has been added to be accessed from the dog kennel room at that end of the building. We were able to recycle the fencing to retain a small holding kennel outdoors for people to drop off dogs they find running lost in their neighborhood. The outdoor kennel is not used to dump off unwanted dogs. Security cameras and signs are up to prevent people from abandoning their dog at the shelter.

This visitation room is desperately needed as there is no area currently at the shelter to meet with an animal someone is thinking of adopting. We are using the hallway to meet with cat's and most dogs are taken outside during any kind of weather to meet with prospective adopters. With all of the distractions of traffic in the hallway and outside activities to distract a dog, rarely is a bond met and many animals are overlooked because they don't show any interest in the person meeting it. This room will have a couch and a couple of chair's in it to simulate a home setting. When an animal is relaxed it will show it's "true colors" as far as its personality, and that is what a new owner is looking for, "Will this animal fit in at our home."

The Fran Edgcomb Visitation Room will also be utilized as a room for our semi i-annual rabies clinics and dog washes we provide to the community, and will also have an area for much needed storage which wasn't included in the original plans when the shelter was built in 1996.

Some of the funds were also from donations ranging from penny collections in an elementary class, fifth grade annual Christmas donations to other more substantial memorial donations. No funds are being taken out of the Sitka General Fund, but strictly from money donated directly to the Sitka Animal Shelter.

(The construction will be updated at this site as we progress.)

Desk

Critter Corner: a view by Officer Nancy Buckmaster

Now that the new Visitation Room is almost ready to use, we need to furnish it. The Animal Shelter is looking for a couple of used overstuffed chairs and a used couch. We'll be using washable covers so they don't need to be really fancy. I have an end table we'll be using, but we need a couple of book cases too. Any donation to the Sitka Animal Shelter is tax deductible.

If anyone has any used furniture they would like to donate, especially a couch, two overstuffed chairs and a couple of wood bookshelves please call 747-3567 or leave a message at the Police Dept. at 747-3245 so I can come and check it out.