Animal ambassadors visit Tulita school
Tulita pre-kindergartners line up to pet Cooper, the city Animal Control Department’s unofficial canine helper, while Officer John Carrillo facilitates. Photo Officers Marco Garcia and John Carrillo spend their days conducting unruly, dangerous, and sometimes stinky missions. The city’s animal control officers track down runaway dogs, moderate barking disputes, and are sent into garages and sometimes even kitchens where raccoons, possums, and skunks have accidently found themselves cornered. They scoop up injured turtles, deal with peacock disturbances, and capture wayward snakes. But last Friday the two officers, their supervisor, Patty Ziello, and her dog, Cooper, completed a mission to some of the most unruly little creatures alive: a group of 30 pre-kindergartners at Tulita Elementary School. Their intention was to teach kids how to be responsible pet owners and peaceable citizens when encountering urban wildlife. “We try to teach them so they respect the animals,” Garcia said. “We have to coexist. When they are this age, they need the big picture.” The kids sat in rapt attention as Garcia discussed some of the basics of pet ownership – how a dog or cat, by law, needs to have…
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