Erie County Dog Warden named top agency in the state

PERKINS TWP. — The Erie County Dog Warden's office is about to fetch a brand new award.The Ohio County Dog Warden's Association, representing agencies in Ohio's 88 counties, named the Erie County Dog Warden the organization's "agency of the year."The award follows a 2010 award that named Barb Knapp, Erie County's dog warden, as the "dog warden of the year."Knapp said she and her small band of employees are pleased to win the award. "It's just an honor to have our place recognized when we're a small county," Knapp said.Knapp is assisted by three employees, including two other full time employees — first deputy dog warden Shelly Graves and deputy dog warden Andria Cogar (who prepares the adoptable dog listings that run every Thursday in the Register.) The team also includes a part time worker, Chris Fulop, who works in the kennel.The citation notes that the county dog warden has stayed in business for decades while being self-supporting."Their shelter was built in 2008 without resorting to county funding. A self-supporting agency for 42 years, the Erie County Dog Warden agency is one of the few that handle their entire dog licensing program," the citation says."They have many community based programs including school volunteers, an intervention program for at-riskyouth to promote proper dog care & ownership, and an adult/juvenile special-needs program to help confidence building through animal interaction," the citation says."The shelter produces live videos, radio programs, newspaper ads and has a very active Facebook page. Animals adopted are spayed/neutered through grant funding and the staff actively work to place as many animals as possible," it says.The dog warden's office receives no tax funding for its work, which includes operating a shelter for stray dogs and investigating animal cruelty complaints. The county government provided a loan for the new dog pound, but the shelter makes payments of $50,000 a year.The shelter's annual budget is about $300,000 a year, with most revenue coming from dog tag sales. Last year, tag revenue brought in $237,438. The shelter also accepts donations.Dog tag sales began on Thursday. Each dog owner is required to purchase a $20 dog license.The award will be presented to Knapp at the association's winter conference, held next week in Columbus.From left to right, Barb Knapp, Shelly Graves and Andria Cogar stand outside the Erie County Dog Warden's office with adoptable dogs on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016, in Perkins Township. The department has been recognized as "agency of the year."