Selectmen hire dog officer

By Dan Cooper

Staff Intern

EAST LONGMEADOW - The Board of Selectmen hired a new dog officer for the town at their meeting on Feb. 6 and she couldn't be more excited about the job.

"I've worked with animals all my life, and was with animal rescue for five years and then I've been an animal control officer for the last two years," Linda Johnson, currently the animal control officer for the town of Ludlow, told Reminder Publications.

Johnson said the dog officer position is a part-time job that is on an as needed basis.

"This gives me the opportunity to keep my other job and be able to subsidize it with another animal control position," she said.

Johnson said the position involves more than working with just dogs.

"I know in my other town I dealt with more wild animals, but I'm not sure what kind of animals East Longmeadow has yet," she said.

Johnson said she is looking forward to the experience. "The position entails more than just dealing with wild animals," she said. "I'm also an animal bites inspector who can make sure a bite isn't from a rabies-infected animal."

Johnson said she heard about the job through word of mouth. "Other professionals in my business heard about the job and that's how I heard about it. Plus there were postings in the paper that I saw as well."

Johnson said anyone who wants to contact her must do so through the police department. "A person should call the non-emergency number for the police department and report their problem. Once I am informed of the issue, I will contact the person who needs me," Johnson said.

Johnson officially starts her new position on Feb. 13. "I'm meeting with the former dog officer on Monday [Feb. 12] to go over some of the basics and then I'm on my own," she said.