JEFFERSON — Tabitha Hazeltine, newly hired dog warden for Ashtabula County, is getting used to driving hundreds of miles a day for her job.

She has been on the job almost a month, replacing former warden Barry Northrup.

“Barry worked with me for over a week, and it helped. I’ve always loved dogs; I grew up with dogs as a kid. My husband, Steve, and I have a mini-rat terrier, Teddy, and two golden retrievers named Sampson and Remington,” Hazeltine said.

“I grew up in the county and graduated in 1996 from Edgewood High School. I decided to get my (associate’s) degree in criminal-justice studies at Lakeland Community College,” she said.

As part of the college work, Hazeltine took a six-month course at the Lakeland Community College Police Academy and loved it.

Her law-enforcement experience came working part time with the Jefferson Police Department and as a security officer at Holiday Camplands in Andover Township.

She applied for the dog warden’s job, considering it to be an interesting step in her law-enforcement career. Hazeltine said her parents always have supported her career choice, which at times may be difficult for a woman.

Hazeltine is a one-person department. Her office is a black truck, and she picks up her voicemail calls at the Ashtabula County Commissioners Office each morning. To reach Hazeltine, call (440) 576-6538 at the county offices.

“I know people may be frustrated when I can’t always get back right away. People should leave a message with their phone number and address to report a stray dog. We don’t pick up cats. Sometimes I’ve gotten calls about cats, but people need to call the county humane society or Animal Protective League,” she explained.

Hazeltine gets a lot of calls from area police departments. Some of the departments have holding kennels for stray animals.

“I sometimes get emergency calls during the day. So far I’ve picked up three pit bulls, who were not aggressive. We seem to be getting a lot of calls about puppy litters being found with the mother dog. I recently found several young puppies on Route 6 that someone just dumped off,” she said.

To catch a stray dog, Hazeltine uses a control stick with a loop to lasso the animal.

“We don’t have individual cages inside my truck. Usually, if I pick several dogs at a time, then we take them, under contract, to the APL. The county commissioners pay the APL for the contract,” she continued.

Part of her job is educating people on Ohio’s dog laws, which require the animals are kept on the owners’ property. She advises dog owners to be sure to license their animals and keep licenses on them.

Having good communication skills are an asset for her job. As the dog warden, Hazeltine also handles dog-bite complaints.