Bismarck Animal Control Needs A Few Extra Volunteers

Volunteers Needed

Bismarck's Animal Control division is looking for volunteers. They currently have 6 active members, 3 full time, who are there every couple of days... but they could always use a few more helping hands. Logan Woodcock, an Animal Warden for the city of Bismarck, says it would be great for the animals.

 "We could always use more volunteers to allow the pets more time outside of their cages," said Woodcock.

Woodcock says it would be great to have 5 full time Animal Wardens, instead of just the 3; this would really help on those busier days.

Misconceptions on Being an Animal Warden?

There certainly are a few. Woodcock tells me many people believe they spend most of their time up at the kennels with the animals, but that's normally not the case.

"During the summer we're sometimes lucky to get our lunch breaks as we're going from one end of town to the other trying to handle all of the calls that come in," said Woodcock.

People also believe that animal wardens are sworn officers. This might be because of the uniforms, but it turns out that's not the case. Wardens do wear bulletproof vests, but they do not carry weapons. Woodcock says the reasons they do that is because people have assaulted animal control officers due to their belief that they are police officers.

And the Jurisdiction?

Their jurisdiction stretches from the Missouri River to right around  52^nd and Main St. going from West to East. It also goes from Burleigh Avenue to 57^th Street, going South to North.

It Sound Like A Lot, but...

Woodcock says overall, the job is not overly difficult. He says the main concern is making sure the animals are caught in a manner that is safe for both the animals and wardens.

So, what are the requirements?

The only real requirement is that you have to be at least 18 years old and able to pass a background check performed by the Bismarck Police Department. Volunteers get training on report writing, deescalating situations with words, how to properly log evidence, testifying in court, and the general practice of search and seizure. They also receive the same basic self defense combat training from BPD. Pretty cool!

If you want to get involved, click here for the application.