Name: Hayden Carroll

Position: Department of Animal Protection Manager

In March of 2020, the ARL welcomed Humane Society Police Officer, Hayden Carroll, as the Department of Animal Protection Manager. Overseeing a team of three within his department, Hayden ensures compliance within the State of PA and organizational policies and procedures.

We asked Hayden a couple of questions to share with the community.

Pets at home:

We have three dogs named Calla Lilly, Piccolo Coccolo, and Cannoli. We also have three cats at home: Kimba, Bubba and Duchess.

How long have you been working in animal welfare, and what made you want to work in this field?   

I began my career in animal control in 2015, but my interest in animal welfare stems back to my childhood. Growing up in New York City, my mother would often take in dogs that had been abandoned throughout the city. She had many friends who operated rescues and would also try to help as many stray dogs as they could. Simultaneously, I always wanted a career in Law Enforcement, and upon entering the animal control field, I saw how these fields mesh together to serve families and their pets in the community – and now, here I am.

What is an Animal Control Officer, and what do they do for the community?

Our Animal Control Officers are officers tasked to enforce Pennsylvania State Agricultural Law pertaining to dogs (Dog Law) regarding Confinement and Control, Animal Bites and Dangerous Dog, and regulations concerning rabies vaccinations and dog licensing. We also investigate and enforce local municipality ordinances pertaining to animals. Additionally, we aid and assist with the control and detention of problematic domestic animals.

What is a day in the life of your job like?  

In a nutshell, it is consistently inconsistent. Each day is different, as you can imagine. One day we can be responding to a house fire with animals trapped inside, and then the next day we can be crawling into sewers to aid an entrapped canine. We pick up strays, appear at court hearings, service arrest warrants, follow up on contact notices, perform welfare checks, execute search warrants, assist local and state police on their incidents, document injuries from dog attacks, respond to emergency calls for aggressive or injured animals, and so much more. All in all, we respond to dozens of calls from our community every day, and we can be performing a lot of these duties simultaneously each shift.

I encourage you to check out the video linked at the end of this interview if you are interested in getting a true firsthand perspective of a day in our lives.

What is one thing you wish people knew about your job?

There are so many things that are overlooked or misunderstood about animal control. One of the biggest misconceptions is that we are thought to be “the dog catchers”. In reality, human interaction is a majority of our work, be it providing surrender prevention assistance, to investigations of dog bites or attacks, to following up with animal owners who need support or are not abiding to humane law.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with your community?

I have always found it remarkable how resilient the spirit of animals can be. I have seen dogs in horrific settings, yet in most of those cases, the animals have continued to trust and love. That resilience is an inspiration for me, and I feel indebted to each of them for their commitment to us.

Want to learn more about the duties of our Animal Protection Department? Watch this video taking you through a day in the life of Hayden’s team.