Arlington Animal Services Leverages Technology to Improve Response Times, Help Reunite Owners with Lost Pets and More
A coyote, possibly injured, is reported close to an Arlington school playground during school hours. Within seconds of receiving the report, Amber Swindle, Animal Services dispatcher/code compliance officer identifies through Global Positioning System (GPS) the field officer positioned closest to the coyote’s location to respond to this high-priority situation. Within a few more seconds, a nearby Animal Control Officer is enroute to the location.
Technology is advancing Animal Services to a new level. As Swindle handles a multitude of incoming reports, she not only sees in real time the mapped physical locations of the shelter’s field officers’ citywide, but another map layer provides location information about every licensed pet in Arlington.
Earlier in the day, an officer spotted a Beagle loose in a neighborhood. Coordination by the field officer and Swindle determined that only a few blocks away, the map showed that a city license had been obtained for a pet Beagle. Through teamwork and technology, the Beagle was happily reunited with its family.
In the Spring of 2020, Pawboost was introduced to the Animal Services website to help with reuniting lost animals. Between fiscal year (FY) 2020 and FY 2021 an average of about 10.75% of dogs were returned to owners. Since implementation of the new mapping tools, FY 2022 into FY 2023 (beginning in October 2022) the average is up to 23.95% - a 123% increase in the number of dogs reunited with their owners.
Development of the map used in dispatch by Swindle and the field services team was the creation of Ray Rentschler, in partnership with the city’s Information Technology department about six months ago.
“Leveraging technology helps optimize resources for field services staff to maximize life-saving efforts,” said Rentschler, creator of multiple dashboards and maps for Animal Services in partnership with the city’s Information Technology department. “Utilizing technology literally provides a roadmap to efficiently connect field staff to locations where they are needed in the community and aid in our focused effort to reunite pets with their owners”
Rentschler also created a dashboard with information about Arlington’s feral cats that helps with administering Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program.
The TNR program has produced significant results since its implementation in August 2013. Since that time, over 7,000 feral cats in Arlington have been spayed or neutered through the TNR program. Each feral cat going through the program is sterilized, receives vaccinations and an ear tip – the universal sign of a feral cat that has been through the program. Prior to TNR being established, the cat kennels in the shelter were consistently filled to capacity. TNR helps stops the breeding cycle of feral cats and over time, will minimize feral cat numbers and nuisances.
Interested in the TNR program and/or upcoming free TNR events? Click here for more information.
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