OFFICE OF ANIMAL WELFARE NOW THE ANIMAL CONTROL PROVIDER FOR THE CITY OF WILMINGTON

Wilmington, DE (July 7, 2016) - On July 1, 2016, the Division of Public Health Office of Animal Welfare (OAW) became the animal control service provider for the City of Wilmington. Services, which include dog and dangerous dog control, animal cruelty, and rabies control, are provided by Animal Welfare Officers of Delaware Animal Services (DAS), the enforcement unit within the OAW.

"We are excited to work with Wilmington leadership to serve animals and residents in the city," said Division of Public Health (DPH) Deputy Director Crystal Webb. "This is the last phase in the effort to consolidate animal control enforcement at the state level, while maintaining strong partnerships with city leaders to address local needs."

"On behalf of the City, I would like to thank the Brandywine Valley SPCA for temporarily providing animal control services, in addition to providing a smooth transition until the State assumed all animal control functions for the City of Wilmington," said Mayor Dennis P. Williams. "Animal control in an urban setting is an extremely important service, and the City looks forward to working with the Office of Animal Welfare. I believe the Office of Animal Welfare will ensure the health and safety of the community, as well as all the stray animals they will be caring for."

Delaware Animal Services will manage all reports of stray or dangerous dogs, animal cruelty, and cases in which a human has been exposed to the rabies virus for city residents. The program offers a 24-hour hotline, 302-255-4646 to report such incidents. Office hours of operation are 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. weekdays and 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. on weekends. On-call officers are available for emergencies outside of normal business hours.

Wilmington residents may also report non-emergency complaints online, purchase dog licenses, post lost or found animal reports, and find other animal welfare resources on the Delaware Animal Services website, AnimalServices.delaware.gov. Any dog over the age of six months is required to be licensed in the state.

"Our goal is a seamless transition for city residents. As we move into this new phase, the OAW particularly wants to highlight the first statewide Lost and Found pet registry at https://animalservices.delaware.gov/lost. All animals picked up by our officers are immediately posted with a case number and instructions for retrieving lost pets," said Hetti Brown, Office of Animal Welfare director. "The public may also post found or lost pets on the site, improving the likelihood that those pets will find their way home."

Animals rescued by Delaware Animal Services will be taken to the OAW shelter partner, the Brandywine Valley SPCA (BVSPCA), located at 600 South Street, New Castle, Delaware. The BVSPCA will hold the animal until the owner can be identified or until the animal can be placed into a new home. The BVSPCA also provides a full service adoption center, low-cost wellness clinic, and special events to help animals and the community. To learn more about Brandywine Valley SPCA services or animals available for adoption, visit http://www.bvspca.org/ or call 302-516-1002.

A person who is deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind or speech-disabled can call the DPH phone number above by using TTY services. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-232-5460 to type your conversation to a relay operator, who reads your conversation to a hearing person at DPH. The relay operator types the hearing person's spoken words back to the TTY user. To learn more about TTY availability in Delaware, visit www.delawarerelay.com.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware's citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations. DPH, a division of DHSS, urges Delawareans to make healthier choices with the 5-2-1 Almost None campaign: eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables each day, have no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time each day (includes TV, computer, gaming), get 1 or more hours of physical activity each day, and drink almost no sugary beverages.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware's citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.