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Bryant Animal Control celebrates 10 years |
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Monday, 09 February 2009 |
A decade seems like a long time to some, but to Tricia Power, director of Bryant Animal Control & Adoption Center, the year 1999 seems like only yesterday. Still, Power says she can hardly believe how far they have come in such a relatively short period of time.
In 1998, Bryant Animal Control opened for business with a new set of animal ordinances, a truck and a contract with the city of Malvern to house stray animals, Power said. She began working for the city in September of that year, and she remembers vividly her first days on the job:
“I remember driving down the road, and there was a dog walking along the edge of the street, darting in and out of traffic. I stopped to capture him, and suddenly realized that I didn’t have one of the vital essentials tools for the job – a leash.”
She quickly improvised. “That was the first of many opportunities to do on-the-spot problem-solving and improvisation — I used my belt as a leash.”
Power said she’s still calculating all of the statistics for the past 10 years, but added, “I plan to have a full report detailing the progress the department has made available for city leaders and our citizens later this year.”
“My proudest achievement is twofold,” Power said. “First and foremost is the opening of the animal shelter in 2004. Our location on I-30 has been a godsend. Because of our visibility, we have been able to reach more potential adopters than we would have at any other location we considered.”
“The second happened last year, when we came close to reaching the coveted 100 percent adoption rate,” Power said. “We were so close – our adoption percentage was 98.5 percent. That is something to be proud of.”
Power said she feels honored “to be at the helm of Bryant Animal Control & Adoption Center as we reach this milestone. Remembering our humble beginnings and seeing how our shelter has grown with our city is a source of great personal pride, and I hope to continue our partnership with Bryant’s citizens for a long time to come.”
Throughout the year, the shelter will be hosting various events and activities celebrating a decade of service to the community.
To adopt a pet, visit Bryant Animal Control & Adoption Center at 25700 Interstate 30 North at exit 126, call 653-0765 or check out the Web site at www.cityofbryant.org or www.bryant.petfinder.com.
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