Detroit's animal care and control operations are delivering improvements more quickly and at a higher rate than initially expected, according to city officials.
They said that in 2019 there was a substantial increase in calls that animal control officers responded to, in tickets issued to pet owners, and in the number of animals released for adoption. That's compared to the year before.
In 2019, animal control officers replied to 9,610 calls, compared to 6,261 in 2018.
The city also announced the hiring of 10 additional animal control officers, eight additional animal care technicians, seven additional animal control investigators, and four other staff.
"Our focus is on getting folks to be responsible pet owners, getting the right dogs off the streets, and issuing tickets for those violators that need to go see the judge," said Mark Kumpf, director of Detroit's Department of Animal Care and Control.
Last December city officials promisted to invest in making Detroit a safer place for people and animals.
This came four months after a 9- year-old girl was fatally mauled by three dogs as she rode her bike near her Detroit home.
The city committed to investing $3 million for an expansion and renovation of the Detroit Animal Care and Control facility for increased capacity and improved operations, and officials released early renderings Thursday.
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