Animal control service

An animal control service or animal control agency is an entity charged with responding to requests for help with animals, including wild animals, dangerous animals, and animals in distress. An individual who works for such an entity was once known as a dog catcher, but is generally now called an animal control officer, and may be an employee or a contractor – commonly employed by a municipality, county, shire, or other subnational government area.

Historically the netting of feral, stray or unleashed dogs also had important public health and safety benefits, especially during the era of untreatable rabies.