'It's a game changer:' Hillsborough County Animal Control launches mobile unit

Hillsborough County Animal Control receives hundreds of calls a month, and sometimes rescues hundreds of animals at one time.

Animal Control staff created a mobile unit dedicated to assisting with large-scale investigations.

Staff say there’s a fast-growing need for more resources to keep up with the influx of calls.

"We're talking about two or three-day events to collect the evidence and process the scene," said Roger Mills, the Division Director with Hillsborough County Animal Control.

Mills says he’s seized as many as 400 animals at one time. He says this puts a heavy burden on animal control crews and the shelters.

"It's an absolute burden," said Matthew Armetta, with the Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center. "It definitely throws a wrench in the daily operations."

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Most of the time, animals seized are brought to the Pet Resource Center to be evaluated and receive medical attention.

The mobile unit can bring a lot of that initial intake care onsite during investigations.

"They would get photographs," Mills said. "We have an animal ID number that's placed on that animal. If it's not microchipped, be microchipped. Taken over here, weighed. Given its vaccines."

A lot of this care typically falls on the Pet Resource Center, which is already at capacity with hundreds of animals.

Mills says evidence can also be lost in the transfer of animals from a scene to the shelter.

This mobile unit helps eliminate one of the stops along the way during an investigation.

"So we can release them from right here," Mills said. "Once the vet examines them and does what's needed, they go to those rescues. So they never see the shelter."

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The mobile unit is designed to ease the burden on the shelter and help move along investigations.

"It's a game changer," Armetta said. "For us here, the fact that they're coming in either, already processed or close to receiving all their vaccinations and everything there, it allows us to just streamline the process here."

Animal control is hoping to expand the mobile unit and the department to help keep up with a fast-growing number of animal neglect, abuse and other service calls.