Blog note: this article references a 2017 grand jury report finding that there is no animal shelter in the east portion of the county.
ANTIOCH — After working as the executive director of a national animal control association, George Harding thought it was time to get back to making an impact.
In early April, the city announced that George W. Harding IV was hired on as the new Animal Services manager.
“We are extremely fortunate to have him leading Antioch Animal Services, and I’m excited for our future with him at the helm,” said Police Chief Tammany Brooks, whose department oversees Animal Services.
Harding’s background shows a devotion to the profession: 17 years as manager of the city of Lee’s Summit’s Animal Control program, 5 years as executive director of the National Animal Care & Control Association, and a professional certification as an Animal Welfare Administrator.
He’s also a father to Ruby, a Golden Retriever, Cooper, a Maine Coon cat, and Charlie, a domestic short-haired cat.
Halfway through an interview with this paper, Harding let slip his outlook on life and pets: “The pets in that community and the way they are treated is the true view of that community.”
February and April were a whirlwind for Harding. He was married, went on his honeymoon, returned to San Diego and saw the job offer from Antioch, then relocated to the area and started work on April 9.
On the same day, NACA announced Harding’s resignation and the appointment of an interim director, adding that Harding had “provided valuable, consistent, and professional leadership” during his tenure.
One of Harding’s most recent accomplishments as director was to help implement a program to distribute ballistic vests to animal control officers in honor of Roy Marcum, a Sacramento County animal control officer who was fatally shot in 2012 while attempting to take care of animals he thought were left behind by an evicted hoarder.
“After seeing what I’ve seen traveling around the country, and seeing national agencies and how they work, I wanted to make a direct impact with the animals,” Harding said of his shift back to municipal animal care.
One of his main missions is to collaborate further with local animal rescue groups, the county animal services and shelters around the country.
“One of the things that I’ve looked at is the transport of animals from a location with too many pets to places with too few,” Harding said.
As he walked through the city’s animal shelter, he discussed the dogs he passed: pit bull, pit bull, chihuahua, pit bull. From Harding’s experience in Lee’s Summit, which sits at the outskirts of Kansas City, the situation was the same, except with Labradors.
The collaboration, he hopes, will work better on a local level as well. A 2017 Grand Jury Report found that because the county had no animal shelter in East County, pets would often be abandoned at the Antioch shelter when it was closed.
There’s no agreement with the county to pick up and transport those animals, but Harding hopes to change that.
“I really want to work on these collaborations with the county so that when people find an animal, they can bring it to the correct shelter, and when you’re looking for a lost pet, you can also call these other agencies,” Harding said.
Harding also wants the public to know that although having their pets microchipped is a good way for them to be reunited with their owners, identification tags will help to find Fido before he comes to the shelter.
He also said that all pet adoptions will be sponsored during “Be Kind to Animals” week, which runs from May 7 to 11. The only costs needed to bring home a new friend is licensing.
May 4, 2018
East Bay Times
By Aaron Davis
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