Animals

Extreme Animal Lovers Win Recognition

Reading Time: 2 minutes

It’s the furthest thing imaginable from working a cushy office job – Animal Control Officers must brave fast-moving wildfires, burning buildings, sewers, floodwaters and yes, even swift ocean currents to protect our pets.

You could call them extreme animal lovers and Tuesday, in recognition for all they do, the Board of Supervisors declared July 10, 2012 as “Animal Control Officer Day” throughout San Diego County.

Supervisor Pam Slater-Price presented the proclamation to Officers Melissa Prettyman and Jennifer Jordan, both of whom were recently involved in the water rescue of a nine-month-old poodle puppy.

“This recent event is just the tip of the iceberg of what they do every day,” said Supervisor Pam Slater-Price.

The officers responded to a call at Hospitality Point June 28 to capture a dog that had been wandering the jetty area for three days and wouldn’t let anyone near her. There were fears the little puppy would be washed out to sea by the incoming tide. Prettyman scrambled along the rocks the entire length of the jetty and halfway back in hopes of capturing her when the poodle leaped into the water. The current started carrying her west to the ocean waves. A surfer tried to capture the pooch but the frightened dog would have none of it and started biting him.

Prettyman then jumped into the water, and as the puppy tried to bite her, managed to get the poodle’s head above water, leash her and bring her to shore. Prettyman and Jordan took the pup to the County animal shelter on Gaines Street where she was later reunited with her owners. While still a mite soggy, Prettyman went right back to work saying at the time the rescue was just ‘part of my job.’

During the Board meeting Tuesday, Prettyman accepted the proclamation on behalf of all the County’s animal control officers. “This is something we do on an everyday basis and I didn’t do anything differently than anybody else would have done,” said Prettyman.  

Prettyman has been on the job for just a year. She said she got into this career because of her love for animals and people; and the opportunity to help the community.  

 Prettyman and Jordan are just two of the County’s 31 animal control officers assigned to cover 4,000 square miles of the County including the unincorporated areas and the cities of San Diego, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Del Mar and Santee.  The 31 officers respond to an average of 29,000 service calls a year.

Tracy DeFore is a communications specialist with the County of San Diego Communications Office. Contact