People
Animal control supervisor Kacie Lindsay’s life in animal care
In October of 2017 when the city of Vicksburg was looking for an animal control supervisor, Kacie Lindsay was an obvious choice to everyone except herself.
“When I saw an opening come up at the city shelter, I made a Facebook post and asked my friends and family if they thought I had it in me to do it,” Lindsay said. “A lot of my friends are people that are pretty big names in animal care work, and they really encouraged me to go for it.”
Lindsay applied, interviewed and started Nov. 1, 2017.
“I’d always wanted to be a veterinarian, but life went in a different direction when I found out I was pregnant with my daughter,” she said.
Lindsay, her husband, son and daughter lived in Georgia at the time, and Lindsay was a stay-at-home mom. In 2007, her daughter began pre-K, and Lindsay’s career in animal care officially began.
“I got a part-time job at Fantana Farm and Kennels, a boarding facility,” she said. “I absolutely loved it.” At the time, a family that bred English Bulldogs lived across the street from Lindsay’s parents and she soon began working there as well.
Lindsay had to say goodbye to those places when their family moved back to Vicksburg in 2012. It didn’t take long for her to get a job at the Vicksburg Animal Hospital.
“I was trained there to do everything a vet tech does and eventually, I was able to do every position except the doctor’s jobs,” she said.
At Vicksburg Animal Hospital, Lindsay worked with Robert Mays who would go on to become supervisor of the city shelter. Lindsay credits her contacts and the opportunities Vicksburg Animal Hospital gave her for her current position as Animal Control Supervisor for the City of Vicksburg.
“I had great teachers at Vicksburg Animal Hospital. Even now, if I have questions they’re available to help me,” she said.
The city animal shelter and the Humane Society are often confused, she said.
“We’re two different entities, but Georgia [Lynn, director of the Humane Society] and I do work together when necessary. Basically, they’re county, and we’re city. The county doesn’t have leash laws or a maximum number of animals someone is allowed to have. They don’t go out and pick up strays like we do,” Lindsay explained.
The city picks up dead animals, stray animals and animal surrenders, she said. They also set traps for cats, dogs and wildlife.
“We go on emergency calls like animal attacks, snakes or wildlife inside homes, injured domestic animals and wildlife, and we investigate animal neglect. With those, we do welfare checks every week. The list really goes on and on,” she said.
The city shelter works closely with outside agencies to rescue animals. Some more recognizable agencies include HART (Helping Animals Reach Tomorrow), PAWS Rescue, Safe Haven Rescue MS and ARF (Animal Rescue Fund). The shelter also depends greatly on the many volunteers and donors who open their hearts and wallets to animals in need.
Running the shelter is a group effort, and Lindsay said it wouldn’t be possible without their dedicated staff.
“Martel Carroll and Jeffrey Fisher are literally running all day long from one end of the city to the other,” she said. “They’re checking traps, picking up animals and taking calls from 911. Bryant Williams keeps the shelter spotless and handles the day-to-day cleaning and feeding of the animals. And of course, the community. We couldn’t function without the community’s support.”
“The ultimate goal is to be able to have every animal in a safe, loving home,” she said.
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