Gail Foguth
Animal Control Officer
Phone: 989.344.3273
Email: gfoguth@crawfordco.org
The various functions and services provided by the animal control division are intended to enhance the health and well-being of the residents of Crawford County. These functions and services are statutorily optional and County Commission mandated. They are, however, an essential part of County government’s responsibility to uphold the health and safety of the community.
Functions such as the impoundment of stray dogs and livestock and the enforcement of the various animal regulatory laws, all contribute to the overall goal of minimizing the domestic animal population in the community. Too many unregulated, or unowned animals at large pose a health hazard by the potential transmission of disease and animal bites, as well as the formation of packs of animals that eventually become a danger to humans and animals alike.
The most serious of these disease’s is rabies, an always fatal disease in animals, which can be transmitted by almost all warm blooded animals. It can be controlled in domestic animals by proper rabies inoculations, which is one of the purposes of required annual licensing of dogs and recommended vaccinations of cats. Rabies cannot be controlled in wild animals, therefore the Animal Control Division vigorously investigates any possible exposure of rabies from a wild animal. Procedures and precautions as recommended by the Michigan Department of Public Health are commonly followed by the Animal Control Division and are passed on to the public in an effort to avoid any transmission of rabies virus.
Large farm animals are required by State Law to be confined on the property of the owner and not allowed to run at large. Calls regarding loose livestock are handled and appropriate actions taken to ensure that the animals are not posing a threat to the safety of the public.
The State of Michigan Animal Cruelty Laws are constantly enforced and these set the basic standards by which an animal should be treated. Violators of these codes are formally cited and processed through the criminal justice system, thereby reaffirming to the community that they have a responsibility as to the care of any animal.