Plainview Animal Control Operation Suspended Amid Abuse Allegations
By: Brittney Johnson, KARK 4 News
Updated: April 17, 2012
Yell County residents took their fight over a dog catcher accused of shooting people's pets and leaving them in a mass grave to City Hall Tuesday.
So far the city is defending animal control officer Mike Shepard, but may still change the way he deals with stray dogs.
For years, Shepard has worked as the lone animal control officer in Plainview. Each year he says he picks up over 100 strays, but says it's what he does when he can't find them homes that has people fired up.
"I really feel like he's abusing his authority. People in town who talk to me say they feel victimized," said Natasha Mantooth.
Mantooth posted pictures of a pit of dead dogs Shepard euthanized. The pictures spawned a heated Facebook discussion and online petition claiming Shepard is abusing pets whose rightful owners want them home
Mantooth brought those concerns before the city.
"At some point the way he is doing business has changed, now it seems he thrives on being able to take dogs because I have a badge I can take them," she said.
Shepard says he has a story behind every dog in the picture and a legitimate reason why he had to euthanize them. He explained that some were sick or turned over by their owners, before he put them down.
"It's all propaganda. People are talking on Facebook, they don't even have a clue," said Shepard.
Mantooth lives in the county in an area out of Plainview's jurisdiction, but says she found her dog in one of Shepard's live traps.
Shepherd admits he loaned the trap to Ruth Rogers who says she needed it to protect her own dogs from Mantooth's dog, another reason she believes the area needs more animal control policies, not less.
"My neighbor's dogs, they come in my yard and they killed my puppy," Rogers said.
Armed with a picture of her late dog, she says she came to support Shepard.
The city also backed his method's saying he meets the standards in the city ordinance. Still due to the backlash, Shepard says he's been asked not to pick up anymore dogs, despite the potential damage to the city.
"We're going to have dogs running around town again, we'll have people getting bit again," he said.
The Corps of Engineers has asked Shepard to move the graves and dog pound from a piece of property being leased by the city.
So far the city is defending animal control officer Mike Shepard, but may still change the way he deals with stray dogs.
For years, Shepard has worked as the lone animal control officer in Plainview. Each year he says he picks up over 100 strays, but says it's what he does when he can't find them homes that has people fired up.
"I really feel like he's abusing his authority. People in town who talk to me say they feel victimized," said Natasha Mantooth.
Mantooth posted pictures of a pit of dead dogs Shepard euthanized. The pictures spawned a heated Facebook discussion and online petition claiming Shepard is abusing pets whose rightful owners want them home
Mantooth brought those concerns before the city.
"At some point the way he is doing business has changed, now it seems he thrives on being able to take dogs because I have a badge I can take them," she said.
Shepard says he has a story behind every dog in the picture and a legitimate reason why he had to euthanize them. He explained that some were sick or turned over by their owners, before he put them down.
"It's all propaganda. People are talking on Facebook, they don't even have a clue," said Shepard.
Mantooth lives in the county in an area out of Plainview's jurisdiction, but says she found her dog in one of Shepard's live traps.
Shepherd admits he loaned the trap to Ruth Rogers who says she needed it to protect her own dogs from Mantooth's dog, another reason she believes the area needs more animal control policies, not less.
"My neighbor's dogs, they come in my yard and they killed my puppy," Rogers said.
Armed with a picture of her late dog, she says she came to support Shepard.
The city also backed his method's saying he meets the standards in the city ordinance. Still due to the backlash, Shepard says he's been asked not to pick up anymore dogs, despite the potential damage to the city.
"We're going to have dogs running around town again, we'll have people getting bit again," he said.
The Corps of Engineers has asked Shepard to move the graves and dog pound from a piece of property being leased by the city.
