You’ll often see articles where we talk about the Scioto County Dog Warden and Humane Agents, but what’s the difference?
Chrystal Brown-Dixon is the Humane Agent for Scioto County, and she sat down with our Betty Smith to explain exactly what her role is.
Unlike the Dog Warden and Animal Control Officers, who are tasked with investigating potentially criminal matters like dog attacks and strays running loose, humane agents investigate complaints of animal cruelty, abandonment, and other issues with animals. If a humane agent isn’t available, the dog warden can handle neglect and cruelty cases. Heather Stevens and William Lore serve as Dog Wardens for the county, and Wendy Peyton works at Portsmouth Animal Control.
Humane agents are typically members of a local humane society who have taken a humane agent training course. Agents must be familiar with state and local laws regarding animals and take a physical training course to learn how to defend themselves. Once the course is completed, the local humane society requests that the individual be appointed as an agent. A probate judge makes the final decision on the appointment. The humane society that appoints an agent also has the power to ask the judge to remove them.
Brown-Dixon also works at Sierra’s Haven. She says she’s loved animals since she was a child and first worked with the rescue in 2012. She left for five years and returned in 2017. In the course of her work as a humane agent, she not only works with cats and dogs but also deals with other types of pets and livestock. The only limit is humane agents don’t deal with wild animals. That’s up to the game wardens and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
