Neal Chung is a humane investigator for the Hawaiian Humane Society who patrols the Waianae-to-Waipahu area. In Makakilo on Wednesday, Chung literally picked up a stray dog to put it in his truck. The dog was found by a Makakilo resident and did not have an identification computer chip.
Putting on the dog
Neal Chung helps animals in distress
as a humane investigator
AFTER EIGHT YEARS in retail sales at a pet store in Kalihi, Neal Chung wanted to expand his horizons, so he applied for a position with the Hawaiian Humane Society. Initially he again found himself working at the retail level, dealing with the public at the society's reception desk, handling phone calls and taking in donated and injured animals. Later the job of humane investigator opened up, and now he drives a society truck, patrolling mostly from Waianae to Waipahu to find stray animals and resolve situations of animal abuse or nuisance. The Farrington High School graduate, 29, is married and lives with his wife, Sandra, and their two children in Waipio.
Neal ChungTitle: Humane investigatorJob: Collects stray or injured animals for delivery to the Hawaiian Humane Society and investigates complaints of animal abuse or nuisance.
|
Answer: Yeah, the Hawaiian Humane Society provides us vehicles that are equipped to handle any situation that we might come across. Then we patrol any designated areas that we are assigned to.
Q: Do you get to take your truck home each night?
A: No, they used to, but I think it became a liability issue. We pick up the trucks there (at the Humane Society), then take them back, clean them up, then head home.
Q: What would be a typical day for you?
A: I start the day with maybe three, four or five pickups. These are stray animals that people will call in and let us know need to be picked up. We also have a certain amount of case work; perhaps someone is not taking care of their animals properly, where there will be possible cruelty or neglect, or loose dogs. So we'll go out and check it out.
Q: Are your hours fairly normal?
A: It's pretty much standard eight-hour day -- depending on the emergency calls. Those are kind of hard to plan.
Q: What's an emergency call?
A: They're Priority One calls where there may be an injured animal, an animal in distress, like maybe a dog on the freeway or a cat stuck in the gutter, and also aggressive dogs running loose. Those are emergencies.
Q: Do those occur at all hours?
A: Yeah, all hours, and whoever is the investigator on duty, they have to respond.
Q: There's somebody on duty 24 hours a day?
A: Yeah.
At one of his Waipahu stops last week, humane investigator Neal Chung checked out reports of a stray dog in the area. His foot search turned up nothing.
A: Yeah, a lot of folks use that. It's a common term. Even children go, "Hey, look, the dog catcher." But it's just a small part of what we do. We'll go out and catch dogs if necessary, but mostly we assist the public with whatever problems they might have related to animals.
Humane ActivityThe Hawaiian Humane Society has 10 humane investigators who are kept busy year round. Last year, the society logged more than 13,000 calls from the public, including:2,446: Loose and aggressive dog calls 1,811: Rescues and emergencies 1,343 : Animal cruelty investigations 174: Dog bite calls SOURCE: HAWAIIAN HUMANE SOCIETY
|
A: Well, most of them are already tied up at the folks' residence who call them in. But I guess it depends on what district you work in. I work the Waianae/Waipahu area, and out there they get a lot of stray dogs. I would say, average, maybe three to four a day. Sometimes none. Sometimes we'll get bombarded. Maybe 10-15 animals, just that one officer.
Q: Is it hard to catch dogs?
A: It depends on the situation, how you approach them. I can look at the dog and tell if he's going to be aggressive. Certain things you look for. Sometimes we're not able to catch them. The dog will turn tail and they're off. But we do our best.
Q: Have you ever been bitten?
A: For myself, no. I've been fortunate, but I'm a little on the cautious side.
Q: In terms of the humane investigator part, what are some of the most awful things you've come across?
A: Living conditions for the animals. I guess sometimes the folks think food and water is enough, but the living conditions part, they don't clean up the feces, the smells get pretty bad, the shelter might not be adequate. Most people are pretty good, but there are a few that are lacking. So that's when we go out to try and educate the folks. Then if the folks don't comply, we issue citations.
Q: After issuing a citation, what happens if they don't change?
A: Warning citations go out first, then we set up a check date. If they comply, that's good, but if not, then we have to get a little more firm. We try to reason with them, or can give them a court date, and then they'll have to explain it to the judge why they did not comply.
Q: What's the deal with cats?
A: (Laughter) Loose cats, yeah. We get a lot of calls about that, too. As long as the cats are sterilized and have identification, then they can run around loose. There's no laws about that. If the cat is not sterilized, and the owner lets it run around loose, they can get a citation, because the cat can go out and reproduce.
Q: What about those folks who feed wild cats?
A: A lot of them actually work along with the Human Society. It's called the spay-neuter cat program. They'll catch the cats in traps, get them fixed, then re-release them, but they're fixed and can't reproduce, so they take responsibility as far at that part.
Q: Oh, that's great, because I thought these people were being irresponsible.
A: Some of them are, but most of them are being responsible.
At one of his Waipahu stops, Chung was given a sick cat, with no name.
A: Birds we don't come across as much. A lot of times people drop them off at the incoming desk. Sometimes we get seabirds -- the gray ones, with webbed feet. At some time of the year we get a lot calls for those, so we take them in and drop them off at Sea Life Park.
Q: What about fish?
A: Basically, there is certain amount that comes in, but usually folks just bring them in and drop them off. We don't usually handle fish on the road.
Q: What happens to the fish that are dropped off?
A: They'll have them displayed out near the rabbits (at the shelter), and if people want to adopt them, they'll pretty much just give it to the folks that want it.
Q: How do you feel about the euthanizing of the animals that can't find homes?
A: I guess that's the part that folks don't understand. The Hawaiian Humane Society will do that as a last resort, but we try as much as possible to place them in homes. But people have to understand some of the animals are not adoptable. They might be aggressive, or have some health problems.
Q: You ever bring in a dog that you wanted to keep?
A: Yeah, lots of times. You see them and think, "Oh cute dog," but I live in a townhouse and already have a dog.
Q: What kind of dog do you have.
A: A papillon -- a terrier.
Q: What's his name?
A: Fudge. It's a girl.
Q: When you're out on the road, do you drive alone?
A: On the road, yeah. If we need help, I can call the investigator in the next district, or even HPD (the Honolulu Police Department). They will offer assistance, or we will offer them assistance, as well.
Q: I understand that you guys are deputized.
A: Yes. We actually attend a class where we meet with HPD officials and they deputize us. We do the animal-related law, we enforce that. So if we have to issue citations, we have the power to do that.
Q: You're not armed, but were there ever any cases where you wish you had been?
A: No, not really, I guess.
Q: Is there any other job at the Hawaiian Humane Society that you'd rather be doing?
A: I worked at reception and that was real hectic. Took a lot of phone calls, complaints, a lot of grief. So I really like what I do now. I'm out on the road, I get to see a lot of scenery, so I really love the department I'm in now.
[News] [Business] [Features] [Sports] [Editorial] [Do It Electric!]
[Classified Ads] [Search] [Subscribe] [Info] [Letter to Editor]
[Feedback]
