The Cranberry Eagle
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 Article published October 31, 2012

New animal control service selected

Bob Schultz
Cranberry Eagle

CRANBERRY TWP — The township recently hired a new animal control firm to take over for Triangle Pet Control Services, whose license was suspended by the state following a surprise inspection.
Cranberry has contracted with Animal Control Services in Houston, Washington County, to be its new animal control firm.
The $1,000 monthly fee is the same as was paid to Triangle Pet. The arrangement is for a 30-day termination notice from either party.
Cranberry manager Jerry Andree said the township plans to review the company’s performance monthly.
The township used the company to pick up a stray animal last week, he said.
The past few weeks when Triangle Pet’s state permitting issues came to light and Cranberry was finding a new animal control company were not a big problem, Andree said.
“Our officers bridged the gap with picking up and keeping the dogs at the police station until we were able to get service from the state dog officer, which is only available Monday through Friday during business hours,” he said.
On Oct. 1, officials at the Department of Agriculture barred Triangle Pet Control from retrieving, boarding and euthanizing stray animals.
The decision, based on the results of a surprise inspection in early August, is temporary pending a hearing in December. Citing “aged vomit and excrement” at the company’s McKees Rocks facility and improper paperwork as part of its findings, the agriculture department denied the company’s license renewal application. The company has appealed, and its license is suspended pending the outcome of that appeal.
Cranberry had a contract with Triangle that would have expired in November 2013.
Andree previously had said he was unsure how many animals were retrieved from the township monthly, but he knew it was “pretty busy ... and we need 24-7 service. Very few companies do that.”
Butler City Council, which also had contracted with Triangle Pet, approved a temporary contract Thursday with the Butler County Humane Society.
City council on Thursday canceled its contract with Triangle. It earlier stopped its $350 monthly payment to the company.
Lynette Vybiral, director of the county humane society, said earlier this month that municipalities using Triangle already have talked with the shelter about help, but they could expect help only temporarily since the no-kill shelter in Connoquenessing Township generally is filled and could not handle the volume of animals generated by municipalities in the long term.
Under the Butler City contract, the state dog warden and two dog officers who serve the county are responsible for collection and transportation of animals to the humane society shelter.