Frankfort Township Animal Control ‘Spring Fling’ celebrates the joys of pet ownership

MOKENA – Karen Zobjeck answered her phone. The woman on the other end was calling from her car. She was afraid to pull up to her garage.

An opossum was sitting on the garbage can and staring down her cat, which was monitoring the opossum through the window, Zobjeck said.

So Zobjeck, animal control officer for Frankfort Township Animal Control, reassured the woman. The opossum, Zobjeck said, would eventually move away and the cat would think, “OK, he’s gone home,” and find something else to do.

Zobjeck has helped owners round up runaway dogs, hunted down pet food donations for owners struggling to take care of their pets, found low-cost veterinarian care and sought out rescue groups for pets that need a new home.

It’s all part of running a no-kill animal control, one that is focused on animal welfare and community outreach education, Zobjeck said. That’s the reason for the third annual “Family and Pet Spring Fling” scheduled for Saturday and why Zobjeck loves her job.

“Animals can’t speak for themselves. They need someone else to speak up for them.” Zobjeck said. “We had over 800 calls last year. Residents are finding out that we are here to help them.”

Frankfort Township Supervisor Jim Moustis said the day is a social event for owners and pets, a chance for the public to learn about animal control’s many resources, while the agency dispels fear-based myths about the role of animal control. All pets are welcome, Moustis said: dogs, cats, birds, fish, reptiles and exotics.

“It’s a fun event to celebrate pets,” Moustis said. “I like to say, ‘We are not dog catchers.’ ”

Moustis said Frankfort Township Animal Control educates and assists people with their pets, works diligently to reunite owners with their pets when a pet goes missing – simplified because of microchipping – and contacting rescue agencies when a pet cannot or is unable to return home.

“We don’t do any euthanization,” Moustis said. “We’re nonkill and we only work with nonkill agencies.”

At the forefront of Frankfort Township Animal Control’s mission is Zobjeck, who has “embraced” the agency’s philosophy, Moustis said. But then Zobjeck, who’s worked in animal control for 15 years – eight of them with Frankfort Township – and owns five dogs, two cats and two horses, grew up assisting vets and working in pet shops. Plus, her parents showed horses, she said.

“I was always in tune with different kinds of animals,” Zobjeck said.

Zobjeck said as people began perceiving pets as family members, animal control’s role evolved to fit that view. People become distraught when family members are lost or injured, she said.

That’s why Zobjeck doesn’t want owners, already frantic because of a missing pet, seeing her vehicle and gasping, “Oh, there’s the dog catcher, come to take my dog and put it to sleep.”

“That’s the farthest thing from my heart,” Zobjeck said. “I want people to stop me and say, ‘Hey, I saw this animal running down the road!’ ”

That extra bit of knowledge– along with physical description and information on collar, tags, microchips – helps Zobjeck as she scours the area in her vehicle, walks through any nearby woods and scans the Lost Dogs Illinois Facebook page.

She understands that, despite an owner’s best efforts, animals sometimes get loose and that every dog running around town isn’t a neglected stray. That’s why Zobjeck cautions people against retrieving a lost animal. It’s better to snap its picture and call Zobjeck.

“Maybe he just had a bath and he doesn’t have his collar,” Zobjeck said. “Or the kids are home and they opened the gate and then, oh my gosh!”

Furthermore, Zobjeck understands owners sometimes get in “over their heads.” Maybe they have tender hearts toward homeless animals and wind up opening their doors to more pets than they can handle.

Zobjeck then helps them decide which ones to keep and which ones to send to a rescue. Or maybe the breadwinner has lost his job and proper care for the beloved pet is low priority on the budget.

“It’s tough out there,” Zobjeck said. “Sometimes I’ll bring a bag of cat food to help out. I’d rather they kept their animals then get rid of them at a shelter.”

Zobjeck added that many shelters are now full, compounding the problem. That’s why she wants residents to call Frankfort Township Animal Control first when they have concerns and say, “I need help. What are my options?”

Even in clear cases of owners breaking leash laws or complaints from neighbors about barking dogs, Zobjeck is less about fines and more about verifying information and addressing problems. She is not “the mean old dog catcher,” which the community can see for itself Saturday. By last year’s attendance, Zobjeck expects a crowd.

“We served 200 hot dogs,” Zobjeck, “and they were gone before it ended.”

IF YOU GO
What: Family and Pet Spring Fling
When: 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., May 17. Police dog demonstration at 2:30 p.m.
Where: Frankfort Township Animal Control, 9434 W. LaPorte Road, Mokena
Etc: Raffles, prizes, hot dog lunch, exhibitors, Q&A with animal control officer Karen Zobjeck, agility course, $20 microchips. Dogs, cats and other pets welcome. Each animal must be either leashed or in a cage and have current rabies vaccination tag or certificate.
Visit: www.frankforttownship.com/p/animal_control
Contact: 815-469-4907, ext. 3712