When long time Animal Control Supervisor Ann Inabnitt retired at the end of last year, all eyes were on the Animal Shelter to see who would take her place. They didn’t have to look far to find someone: Brendan Hanson, an employee since May 2017, was ready to accept the challenge! The role is a challenging one for two reasons. First, Ann Inabnitt was beloved and helped see the Animal Shelter from a very dark time when her predecessor, Mary Jo Frazier, was sentenced to prison. But it’s also challenging because the profession is challenging in itself. Boulder City, with its no-kill shelter, has seen a dramatic upturn in the number of abandoned animals and surrendered animals over at least the last five years. It’s A LOT of work for the small staff they have and they’ve done a wonderful job of caring for the community’s furry residents.
The great news is that Brendan Hanson will have no trouble filling the role with the same compassion for animals that we all saw from Ann. In our conversation with him last month, he mentioned he had no plans to make any changes to the policies and directives of the shelter and that he would instead build on that success, fostering even more trust between the shelter staff and the Boulder City community. One of the things he reiterated was his appreciation of the community’s support for him, and his staff.
Brendan Hanson’s career started in Utah, where he worked in animal control for about 5 years before relocating to Southern Nevada. We asked him a crazy question: “What is your most memorable moment in animal control?” and he told us a story about needing to wrangle an alligator in a kiddie pool in a basement! Just remember that keeping wild, exotic, and nonindigenous animals is illegal in Boulder City. No alligator wrestling in our city, please!
He wanted to remind all pet parents that pet licenses needed to be renewed. They are just $4 for a year (January 1 to December 31) and you’ll need a current rabies certificate for a spayed or neutered dog or cat. For more about the various Animal Control fees, click HERE.
We want to remind you that our Animal Shelter loves to receive donations year round to assist with the maintenance and care of the animals. Some of these items include the list below:
- Antibacterial wipes for countertops, door knobs, etc.
- Bath towels, hand towels, and wash clothes
- Beds (small ones that will fit in the washing machine ONLY please)
- Blankets
- Bleach (chlorine and color safe types)
- Cleaning products like window cleaner, multipurpose cleaner, bleach cleaners, etc.
- Dishwasher detergent
- Fabric softener sheets for the dryer
- Laundry detergent
- Laundry stain pre-treating spray
- Paper towels
- Pet stain cleaners
- Purina Cat Chow Complete
- Purina Dog Chow
- Spray bottles (empty)
- Stuffed toys that can be washed and sanitized (for small and large dogs, and cat toys)
- Trash bags
For both food and cleaning supplies, it’s also easy to set up shipments through Amazon or Chewy or some other pet care service to make routine deliveries to the shelter, located at 810 Yucca Street. For dropping off supplies, please call the shelter at (702) 293-9283 to make sure someone is available at the shelter to accept the donation. You may need to leave a message so they can call you back to arrange a mutually beneficial time. Deliveries can also be made to the Police Department at 1005 Arizona Street and shelter staff will pick it up.
When he’s not at work, Brendan Hanson enjoys hanging out with his own pack of 3 dogs! We are wishing him all the best, and look forward to talking to him again!
