Holts Summit animal control officer cares for animals, community

Kevin Ward poses next to his official vehicle. For three years, Ward has been the animal control officer for the city of Holts Summit. On top of enforcing ordinances and responding to calls, Ward runs the Holts Summit Animal Control Facebook page.
Kevin Ward poses next to his official vehicle. For three years, Ward has been the animal control officer for the city of Holts Summit. On top of enforcing ordinances and responding to calls, Ward runs the Holts Summit Animal Control Facebook page.

Kevin Ward has become well known in Holts Summit since starting as an animal control officer three years ago.

On top of enforcing ordinances and responding to calls, Ward runs the Holts Summit Animal Control Facebook page. The city's sole animal control officer, he said the community has responded to him well.

"As far as the animal control part, there's a lot of people out there that really care about it, and I'm one of them," Ward said.

It was actually a good bit of fortune he even landed in the job, he added.

"I was sitting at home, watching TV. It was about 11 o'clock at night, and I got - I don't know how it happened - but I got an alert on my phone that they were hiring," Ward said. "It was late, and I just filled out the app."

Ward's previous experience included working at a prison and with armored cars, but nothing involving animals. Once he took the animal control position, he received some training from Police Chief Kyle McIntyre but had to learn a lot himself, he said.

"It's just dealing with people," Ward said. "When I go knock on their door, usually they're not real happy to see me on the code enforcement side. On the animal control part, you know, everybody's got soft hearts, and I enjoy that part of the work."

Many cities the size of Holts Summit have no animal control. Now, due to agreements made by the city the past few years, Ward's work extends to Lake Mykee and New Bloomfield.

Ward said much of the work he does is proactive, enforcing animal ordinances in a way that is complaint-driven and safety-based.

If there is a pet loose in the city and he can't find the owners, Ward said, the animal is impounded.

Impounding one animal led to Ward's minor claim to fame. While taking a dog to the shelter, he let the pooch sit in the front seat. Soon, the two began to interact, and Ward captured the canine conversation on a video that went semi-viral.

"That was Chevy the dog - yeah, he was a repeat offender," Ward joked. "I was on the way to the shelter with him, and I knew the owners. And I really tried to give the dog back to the owners because he's kind of an enjoyable dog and, you know, I don't like to tack fees onto people. Everybody deserves a break.

"Anyway, they weren't home, so I had to take him into what I called 'doggy jail' in the video, and he just started howling. And it just kind of went from there."

Holts Summit does not have to work with wild animals, focusing on animals that would be eligible for adoption.

"We're not proactive on cats; that's a major problem inside the city," Ward said. "We don't trap them. Feral cats are a problem; I get called on that quite a bit. But it's not cost-effective. (It's) inhumane because, pretty much, the feral cats, they just get put down."

Not that Ward isn't willing to help, he clarified. The city is equipped to handle odd cases, such as snakes, a situation Ward said he has faced a few times.

"Is it part of the job description? No. Is it part of the job description to help? Yeah," he said. "So whatever I feel comfortable and safe with."

Ward has a "wide gamut" on what he does on a day-to-day basis, handling light crime scene photography and running evidence room in addition to his animal control responsibilities. He's currently going through the sheriff's academy, hopefully opening up more opportunities for him to help Holts Summit.

"I haven't really announced what I'm doing with that to the community yet; I'd like to pass beforehand," Ward said with a laugh.

Regardless, Ward said he plans to stay with the Holts Summit Police Department until he retires.

Currently, the animals Ward impounds or captures go to Fulton's Grabb Animal Shelter. The kennel Holts Summit formerly used was investigated for animal neglect last year, and what started as an emergency contract for use of Fulton's shelter has continued since.

By turning its animals over to Fulton, Holts Summit relinquishes its rights to them, included the ability to adopt the animals out. Holts Summit is working on a contract with a local veterinarian to provide shelter services soon, allowing the city to adopt animals out again, which is "where the feel-good stuff is," Ward said.

"People, they'll ask me about the animal abuse stuff," Ward said as he tapped his fingers on a table, finding the right words to say. "And I enjoy getting critters out of a bad environment, you know, that's kind of one of the rewarding (responsibilities).

"But, to share the stories, some of them probably aren't worth sharing. The adoption part is - you know what I mean - coming out of a rough situation. Plus, sometimes bad things happen to decent people, and for me to share that story wouldn't be fair."