Russell joined the Washington Humane Society in April 2008 as a humane law enforcement officer. To report abuse, call 202-234-8626, 24 hours a day.
Do you have pets? I have a giant silly American pit bull mix named Jerome. And I have a wonderful cat named Tobzilla.
A “giant silly” pit bull? He’s got a lot of personality. He was in the shelter for about four months. Then he was adopted and returned. I fostered him for about an hour, and I decided this dog isn’t going anywhere. This is my dog.
Do you have law enforcement power? We do not carry weapons, but we do make arrests. Not physical arrests, but we do write our own arrest warrants and search warrants. We can go out and address all violations of the [animal cruelty] code.
What is the most common form of abuse you find? General neglect is the biggest thing. We’re dealing with a lot of animals out in extreme heat. There’s physical abuse and dogfighting. And failure to provide vet care obviously is against the law. It changes with the seasons. These dogs that are dying of heat stroke in July may be freezing to death in January.
Ever been confronted by an exotic animal?
We picked up a turkey a couple of months ago. Some kids were torturing a wild turkey on the side of the road. We had an emaciated ferret last year. It was a great little guy. It’s certainly not just dogs and cats.
Do pet owners respond to your warnings?
We try very hard to not seize an animal if we don’t have to. It is taking someone’s property. The ideal thing is to work with someone before we have to seize things. Unfortunately, sometimes you have no choice. But you can usually get someone to comply with the bare minimum standards.
Is it hard to convict? There are a million different ways you can be cruel to an animal. The law only covers so much.
