PHOTO BY LISA CARNLEY Kasey Dressel is the new animal control officer for Lampasas County, replacing Ervin Carr who retired after a number of years of service. Mrs. Dressell was formerly a dispatcher/ detention officer for the Lampasas County Jail. Though her predecessor won a chunk of money in the lottery, new Lampasas County Animal Control Officer Kasey Dressel feels like she's the real winner.

Ending up with a position she truly wanted, Mrs. Dressel took over for veteran Animal Control Officer Ervin Carr after his April retirement.

Mrs. Dressel, who grew up in Lampasas, graduated from LHS 2001.

A lifelong animal lover, she was a veterinary assistant for Dr. Brad Moyer for four years. Her job entailed assisting in surgery and procedures, and general animal care.

After hearing a rumor that Carr was contemplating retirement, and ready for a break from animals herself, Mrs. Dressel applied for a job at the Lampasas County Sheriff's Department.

Law enforcement is no stranger to her family. Mrs. Dressel's brother, Jase, is a police officer for the city of Lampasas, and her brother, Jeremy, is a deputy for Lampasas County.

Mrs. Dressel was hired as a dispatcher/detention officer for the county.

"When I found out Ervin was leaving, I realized how much I missed working with animals and being in the public," she said.

In her new post, Mrs. Dressel serves as the rabies authority for the county, which includes handling all animal bite cases.

She also follows up animal complaints, missing animals and reports of livestock in the roadway, and patrols the county to look for ordinance violations.

To keep people from dumping animals, Mrs. Dressel said she will accept animal surrenders from county and city residents at no charge, and she hopes to be able to find good homes for them. Though she will not chase cats, she will pick up and deliver to the impound facility any stray cats that have been trapped by residents.

Recently, Mrs. Dressel was able to adopt out 35 animals to an Austin no-kill shelter.

Also, Shirl Wangler is licensed to take in and adopt animals on behalf of the county.

"There are so many animals out there roaming around in the county, especially cats," said Mrs. Dressel. Earlier this month, she picked up an average of 10 cats per day.

"There are too many unvaccinated cats, and they just keep having kittens," she said. "I would rather pick them up and take them to the impound to keep disease down. Ideally, I would like to return animals to their owners, but that's not always possible."

The animal control officer said her day-to-day routine takes her to various parts of the county. She patrols certain roads on particular days. Loose livestock reports take precedence over other calls because of the danger they can cause to roadway traffic.

Mrs. Dressel said as stressful as her job can be, it also has its rewards. "It feels good when I am able to return dogs to their owners or see them placed in better homes. I think that makes some sort of difference. Ervin did a good job keeping up with that."

When the city and county pool their resources to build a new animal control facility, a second animal control officer will be hired to work in the kennel, Mrs. Dressel said. Ground should be broken for the facility late this summer.

Some of the tougher parts of her job, she said, include having sick animals that must be euthanized. "I also hate to see animal cruelty and the large number of animals that are not spayed or neutered or are not vaccinated. They at least need to have a rabies vaccine."

It is a Class A misdemeanor for owners whose animals are not rabies vaccinated, Mrs. Dressel said. "When animals come to our impound and they are spayed or neutered, they can be placed with an Austin shelter as space allows, and they have a better chance of getting them adopted from there."

Some local animal lovers have donated funds to spay or neuter animals. Residents also donate food and money for animal upkeep.

"There are so many people here who love animals and do their part to help take care of them," she said.

Then there are those who can make the job tougher.

"Animals must have adequate shelter," said Mrs. Dressel. "An awning is not enough. The shelter should be enough to keep them out of the elements, and owners should provide the animals with sufficient water.

"Mostly, it's explaining to folks what needs to be done. I give them veterinarians' phone numbers and other resources to call if they need help."

She also encourages pet owners to have animals wear a collar with a rabies tag and a form of identification. "Micro chipping an animal is great, but it does no good if the pet owner doesn't send in the registration."

Pet owners also should be sure fences are secure and that holes are closed to keep their animals in.

"I know we have some Houdini dogs out there, and they can get out of anything," Mrs. Dressel said. "That's all the more reason to be sure your pets are spayed or neutered, as well as up-to-date on their vaccinations."

When not chasing pets and answering calls throughout the county, the new animal control officer keeps busy with her daughter, two-year-old Brooklyn.

She and her husband, Josh, an equipment operator for the city of Lampasas, spend most of their spare time with their daughter, and they are busy settling into a new home.

"I think most people want to do what's best for their animals," she said. "That not only makes it easier on the animals, it makes my job easier, and it can save the county money as well."