After decades of being the only animal control business in much of the Alle-Kiski Valley and Westmoreland County, Hoffman Kennels is beginning to see competition from an upstart service in Indiana County.
After announcing its first municipal animal control contract in December, no-kill shelter Whiskey Acres Animal Rescue and Sanctuary in Young Township now has signed contracts with four municipalities.
“I’m still getting calls almost every day from different municipalities,” said Mindy Maryai, owner and founder of Whiskey Acres. “We’re just trying to do what we can for this first year. It’s great, so exciting — very overwhelming.”
The most recent additions were Allegheny Township and West Leechburg. Each community approved one-year contracts Jan. 5. They join Leechburg and Latrobe, which signed contracts late last year.
Delmont is considering switching, too. Borough officials said there could be a vote to make the move as early as next month.
Maryai previously told TribLive her method to approaching municipal contracts would be slow and steady until the rescue found its footing in the new venture. With Whiskey Acres’ almost instant popularity, that approach has gone by the wayside.
“Two months ago, this wasn’t even a thought in our minds,” Maryai said.
In fact, during her presentation to Delmont Council, Maryai warned council members not to take too long to decide because her nonprofit is fielding inquiries from multiple other municipalities and her capacity is limited.
The no-kill appeal
Allegheny Township Supervisor Jeff Pollick said his municipality has been looking for an alternative to long-time contract holder Hoffman Kennels of Salem Township for quite some time.
Pollick said the fact Whiskey Acres is a no-kill shelter and the contract is cheaper than their previous service is a big win for the township.
“I really think the township hit the trifecta here,” Pollick said. “The animals win. The residents win knowing if their dog is astray, they’re not on a (strict) time frame to get them back. The township wins with the cost it incurs.”
He said the township is saving a little more than $2,000 with the new contract.
“(Hoffman’s) was something we’d been looking to replace for quite some time,” Pollick said. “We only have a handful of strays collected each year, and it was a significant cost.”
Pollick said residents have been vocal about their displeasure with Hoffman’s service in the past.
Hoffman owner Gary Hoffman has long been criticized for operating a business that euthanizes unclaimed dogs. Animal activists also complain about the kennel’s 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. operating hours, making it hard for working owners to retrieve their pets, and lack of online presence.
Despite this, his kennel contracts with nearly 100 municipalities for animal control.
Hoffman was not at the kennel when a TribLive reporter asked to speak with him recently and has not responded to numerous requests seeking comment.
Like the other towns that have signed on, Latrobe officials said the sanctuary’s no-kill policy was a primary factor in making the switch.
“Their concern for the animals’ well-being is what got our attention the most,” Latrobe police Chief Richard Bosco said previously. “They’re a very compassionate crew.
“(And) they’re not far away, about 25 to 30 minutes out.”
While West Leechburg’s savings with Whiskey Acres is only about $10, under its new contract with them, Borough Secretary Kayla Visnovsky also cited its no-kill policy as key.
“This is a win for the borough and a bigger win for the animals who will be in the care of Whiskey Acres,” Visnovsky said in an email.
Visnovsky said West Leechburg officials have been looking for an alternative dog catcher for the five years she has worked for the borough.
“This fall, I was able to make contact with two alternatives, but both were unable to provide services to our borough due to distance,” she said. “When we heard of Whiskey Acres, we made contact the next day to discuss the possibility of securing them as an alternative.”
Leechburg Councilman Chuck Pascal was sold on the no-kill approach, too.
“We want to try to reunite people with their dogs,” Pascal said. “And if that’s not possible, then they’ll be put up for adoption.”
Leechburg’s contract with Whiskey Acres will cost the borough $100 per month this year and $150 each time the sanctuary has to respond to a stray dog call.
Sticking with what’s known
While Whiskey Acres certainly is getting plenty of interest, most communities have opted to renew or continue contracts with Hoffman.
Jeannette Council approved a two-year contract with Hoffman for $300 a month. According to City Manager Ethan Keedy, Hoffman was the only business that responded when the city was seeking proposals.
“There aren’t many, if any, other options in the area that meet the requirements,” Keedy told TribLive. “If Jeannette would receive a proposal for a similar or cheaper price with better services, it would be considered. But it’s hard to find a different option that meets the requirements.”
Keedy said his experience with Hoffman is that they do everything they can to reunite dogs with their owners.
Lower Burrell City Manager Greg Primm said council approved a two-year contact with Hoffman Kennels in November, before they knew Whiskey Acres existed.
“Hoffman has been the only game in town for so long,” Primm said. “When we did our renewal with (Hoffman), Whiskey Acres wasn’t something we knew about.”
Primm said, since he began working for Lower Burrell in 2023, he has never received a complaint about Hoffman’s service from residents, nor has the city’s police department complained.
The city’s contract pays Hoffman $300 a month and $120 for call-outs. Primm said, after this contract expires, the city is open to researching other animal control service options.
Vital service
Having a reliable dog catcher might sound archaic. But it can be a big deal to local police, who usually are the first to get reports of a stray or threatening dog and might have to contain or hold the animal until the animal control service arrives.
Under state law, municipalities must enforce the state’s dog laws. If they don’t have the facilities to do that on their own, municipalities can do so by entering an animal control contract with a qualified entity to act as an animal control officer or dog warden in charge of enforcing theh state dog laws.
Animal control officers, among other things, pick up and impound dogs, cats and other domestic animals running at large to safely put them in a kennel.
Allegheny Valley Regional Police Chief Mike Naviglia says police have to be ready for anything when they get an animal control call. He said the calls can range from a gentle-natured dog getting out of its yard to an aggressive dog presenting a threat to the people or animals it encounters.
“These aren’t routine,” Naviglia said. “It’s all case by case.”
He said officers have equipment in their cars to assist with dog calls, but it’s limited.
“We have dog nooses in our cars,” Naviglia said. “We have scanners and, if we can get close enough, we can scan (the dogs’) chips to find their owner.”
He said if a dog is aggressive, they can hold it, if possible, until the animal control agency arrives. The issue is the department has nowhere to keep the animals.
“We’re not dog officers,” Naviglia said. “If you really like your dog, get them licensed, put a tag on them and get them chipped.”
Amber Brink, founder of Champion’s Crusaiders Rescue in Vandergrift, has been called to stray dog scenes in several nearby communities. Brink, who also is a humane officer in Armstrong County, said she prefers her no-kill rescue’s protocol, but animal control agencies still are necessary when dealing with aggressive dogs.
“A lot of people agree to disagree, but if you’re going head-to-head with a 200-pound mastiff that’s trying to (attack you), rescues are not equipped to take that dog in,” Brink said.
While not a fan of Hoffman Kennels because of its policy to euthanize dogs whose owners can’t be found, she said such animal control agencies are equipped with things to get the dog under control, proper cages to contain it and proper transport vehicles.
“Animal control is definitely needed as far as capturing and transporting,” Brink said. “Maybe a rescue can step in to assess to know if (the dogs) are actually fully aggressive or if they just need some TLC.”
Brink said she’d be willing to work with Hoffman and other animal control and rescue agencies to come to what she believes would be a better system. She said, as animal advocates, groups should be able to work together.
Brink said about two of every 10 dogs picked up are aggressive, and the majority of the time is because they’re in “fight-or-flight” mode.
In her 15 years of rescue, Brink has had to call Hoffman for assistance. She said that on one call, a dog had become territorial and the situation had become dangerous for her.
“I hope Whiskey Acres is up to the challenge to handle aggressive dogs,” she said.
Maryai said Whiskey Acres is always looking toward expansion considering the amount of inquiries it receives.
Right now, they have 15 kennels, nine of which were occupied last week. Each kennel can hold up to two dogs. However, Maryai said, dogs are only kenneled together if they’re bonded.
“Our goal is to always have a kennel empty and available to each municipality (Whiskey Acres has contracts with),” Maryai said. “Our comfort zone is six municipalities this year.”
She said Whiskey Acres recently purchased a new building that, once ready, is expected to house 16 kennels for indoor and outdoor use.
