There’s a new animal sheriff in town

PALMER — Come Nov. 17 there will be a new dogcatcher in town.

Bob Haskell, until now public safety director for Whittier, will take over for the Mat-Su Borough’s previous chief of Animal Care and Regulation, Dave Allison. Allison departed in early September without much word — from him or the Borough — as to why.

Haskell said he’s ready to get to work and has been looking for an opportunity to live in the Valley.

“Every time I drive through Palmer and Wasilla it feels like, you know, small town America, it’s the old town feeling,” he said. “Besides that you also have the opportunity to have a yard. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with Whittier. Everybody pretty much lives in one building here.”

Not that he’s knocking Whittier, but his kids are excited at the chance to have a big yard to play in. They’re also psyched about what dad will be doing.

“The kids are going nuts that dad’s got a job working at the shelter,” Haskell said.

Haskell, 33, said he started his career with the Juneau Police Department, then spent a year in Whittier before heading up to the North Slope Borough Police Department and back to Whittier. He’s been chief of police in Whittier for about three years. Recently, the job shifted to a director of public safety, putting him in charge of the fire department and ambulance services in addition to the police.

The police were also in charge of animal control but, Haskell said, it’s a different job than the one he’ll be doing in the Valley.

“We have a holding facility inside the fire hall but pretty much if there’s a dog out on the loose with it being such a small town we just give the owner a call,” he said.

Indeed, when he thinks of problem animals, a lot of time it’s wildlife that comes to mind — bears and moose. The day Haskell came to Palmer to interview for the animal control position, the officer filling in for him had just such a case.

“The officer was trying to chase a bear out of the fudge shop out here. That’s the kind of animal control we do,” he said.

The officer pegged the grizzly with a couple of beanbag rounds fired from a shotgun, but the bear was unfazed, Haskell said.

“He wasn’t having it. He was going to finish his marshmallows,” he said.

Eventually, the bear moved on.

Haskell said he’s ready for a challenge and can’t wait to roll up his sleeves.

“Oh, absolutely, I don’t like to sit on my hands and I’m anxious to get up there and do a review of our current operations there, … see if there’s anywhere we can improve and find out where some of the concerns are on the animal control board,” he said.

Haskell said he’s met a good number of the shelter’s staff and talked to the board during the interview process. He thinks he’ll get along with all.

Haskell also said he’s happy the department is expanding its shelter, and he won’t mind much if that means space will be cramped leading up to the Borough’s expected opening date for the expanded portion of the facility of January 2009.

“I’m sitting in a two-room office here that’s pretty small. Everything here’s pretty small,” he said.

“I was actually a little surprised at the current size of the shelter before the addition,” he said, given the number of animals in the Borough and the fast rate of growth.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.