From Dogs to Ducklings, Broomfield’s Animal Services Unit Helps Furry and Feathered Friends

By Kristen Beckman

The Animal Services Unit of the Broomfield Police Department investigates a wide variety of complaints involving both domestic and wild animals – everything from dogs, cats, and ferrets to bears, marmots, and squirrels.

“Animal Services is nothing like how Disney portrays the profession,” said Animal Services Supervisor Amy Voltin. “All of our officers are huge animal lovers with many volunteering their time off duty for various rescues and wildlife rehabilitation. Our officers reunite lost pets with their owners, investigate animal cruelty, rescue injured/trapped animals, investigate barking dog complaints, register pets, educate the public on responsible pet ownership, and a wide variety of other calls for service.”

Many residents are unaware their pet needs to be registered in Broomfield, which the unit offers for free, unlike many other jurisdictions that charge a fee to register pets. A prerequisite of pet registration is a current rabies vaccination.

There are numerous benefits to registering a pet, including that it makes owner information available 24 hours a day, every day of the year, so that Broomfield Police can quickly notify owners if their pet is found. A traditional rabies tag from a veterinarian can only be traced through the issuing veterinary clinic and only when the clinic is open. In addition, if an Animal Services officer finds a registered pet, the officer may attempt to return the pet directly back home instead of transporting it to a temporary holding facility, and veterinarians can contact owners if a lost pet is injured and needs life-saving medical treatment.

On average, the animal services unit investigates more than 6,700 calls per year, which keeps the unit of three officers and one supervisor extremely busy. Even with its high call volume, the unit has a high return-to-owner rate of 86 percent, compared with the state average of 43.51 percent.

Voltin said the best thing owners can do to protect their pet and help Animal Services officers is to microchip their pet and keep their contact information current with the microchip registration. Animal Services has recently hosted three free microchip and vaccination clinics, and it now offers free microchips to impounded animals when they go home.

“One out of every three pets will go missing during its lifetime,” said Voltin. “Proper identification can help us get your pet back home to you.”

Animal Services officers are sometimes called upon to check on the welfare of neighborhood pets or mediate calls about dogs barking and other nuisances.

“We do encourage residents to talk with their neighbor in an attempt to come to a resolution before calling Animal Services,” said Voltin. “If a resident is uncomfortable doing so, or the conversation is ineffective in solving the problem, they can call Broomfield Police non-emergency dispatch to report the complaint at 303-438-6400.”

In the case of wild animals, Animal Services officers can assist with injured, sick, trapped, and deceased wildlife, but they do not perform pest control services such as raccoons in an attic or skunks under a deck.

“Ducklings that accidentally fall into a storm drain is one of my favorite calls,” said Voltin. “Reuniting them with the mom duck, who is frequently pacing back and forth quacking at us to hurry up, is very rewarding.”