Holbrook Animal Control Officer Brandon Smigiel has been on the job for two months and has big plans to continue improvements to the shelter. Smigiel has over five years’ experience in both law enforcement and animal control while living in North Carolina and is enjoying his new assignment. His primary focus, aside from responding to calls from the public, is building up the volunteer program.
The Friends of Holbrook Animal Shelter is the non-profit group that assists at the shelter and according to Smigiel, the number of volunteers dropped once COVID struck and he’s now trying to build that organization back up by recruiting more volunteers.
For those looking to help out, there are plenty of ways to do so. The shelter is in need of dog walkers, cat companions, feeders, cleaners and more. “There are all sorts of different jobs. People come out to wash dog dishes or once a month to do laundry, others walk dogs or transport animals.” One opportunity is coming up next week. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17, the shelter will be hosting an animal adoption event during the Navajo County Fair, with extra hands needed.
The shelter also has a transport van that allows animals to be placed in less crowded facilities when needed. “We do have shelters that will take dogs but sometimes they’re so busy that they can’t pick them up so we need help taking them to Flagstaff or Phoenix,” he said, noting that the costs such as fuel for transporting the animals is covered by funds allocated by the Friends of Holbrook Animal Shelter. The organization also pays for animal health checks required by other shelters before they will accept them and partners with other shelters to transport animals.
“We also take donations. Supplies like dog food, dish soap, laundry detergent, towels, puppy pads; we can take those types of donations here. If it’s money it’s better to donate directly to Friends of the Shelter.” The Friends of the Holbrook Animal Shelter is a 501(c)(3) and can be contacted through their Facebook page.
Smigiel talked about an example of the hard work of the Friends of Holbrook Animal Shelter. “We have one dog here, Patch, who when he came in had to have eye surgery. He had a problem with his eyelids where they were too big so the doctor had to go in and fix them because they were scraping against his eyeballs. The Friends of the Shelter was able to fundraise for that and pay for that surgery, now he’s ready to be adopted.”
To volunteer at the shelter, simply go to the Animal Control Office, fill out an application and visit with Smigiel to see if it will be a good fit. Then go to the Holbrook Police Department to be fingerprinted free of charge. “If you’re under 17 you have to have a parent (or adult guardian) that will be here with you. If you’re 17 or older, then you just come out here and volunteer. In the beginning, you need to come when somebody else is here. We have volunteers that come after hours and walk dogs, we have volunteers that just come up here and play with the cats to get them out. Others come up here just to clean.”
The shelter deals almost exclusively with dogs and cats and when not working in the shelter, Smigiel is out in the public primarily responding to dogs at-large. He is also working to ensure that people view the shelter in the proper light. “I want to get away from the view of ‘dog catcher’ and the ‘pound.’ I don’t like the term. I’m animal care and control. I visit with the public and remind them to keep their dogs in their yard or on a leash. We can’t have dogs running around.”
His other big push is reminding people to have their animals vaccinated against rabies and registered with the city. “That way if their dogs get out by accident–I had this happen just a couple of weeks ago –I can get the dog home in a couple of hours instead of just sitting here in the shelter. The city tag helps if it’s on the collar.”
The Holbrook Animal Shelter takes pet surrenders from within city limits, with a city address on their ID, and charges a small re-homing fee. If it’s a stray it will be taken if it’s within city limits. But for areas outside of Holbrook, and not on the reservation, Navajo County Animal Control needs to be contacted or the specific city animal control facilities where the animal is located.
Navajo County contracts with the various animal control facilities to house those they pick up, but that doesn’t mean it would be the closest facility to where the animal was located. “That’s why it’s important that if people lose their dogs and Navajo County picked it up, they need to contact all the various shelters that contract with them. So, if an animal was picked up in Joseph City, it may bring it here, but it could also be in somewhere in the White Mountains.” Smigiel noted that if an animal comes off of the reservation, the local tribal authority needs to be contacted.
To learn more about volunteering, contact the Holbrook Animal Shelter at 928-524-6828 or visit the Holbrook Animal Control Facebook page to learn more about what animals are currently available for adoption. The cost to adopt a dog is $70 for a male or $75 for a female and includes spay or neuter, the required vaccinations and city registration. For cats, the cost is $40 for males and $45 for females and includes spay or neuter.
