Animal Control Officer Staying Busy

La Grange’s beloved dog catcher Dean Ahlschlager will retire as the City’s animal control officer at the beginning of next year.

Ahlschlager said work has been pretty routine lately when the Record caught up with him this week.

“It’s been the normal routine – dogs and cats and ‘coons,” Ahlschlager said.

He did pick up a dead tarantula at the Fayette Public Library last Wednesday.

“I’ve been seeing a lot of tarantulas lately,” he said. “Maybe it’s the dry weather.”

He also relocated a family of whistling ducks recently, from a yard on North Madison.

Alschlager, who knows just about every dog in town and which yard they belong in, said he plans to retire in January. In the meantime, he’s been training his successor, Justin Pietsch.

“I got him trained and certified, so he’s ready to go,” Ahlschlager said.

Alschlager recently underwent a knee replacement, and Pietsch filled-in for him over several weeks while he recovered.

“He’s had a lot of hands-on training,” Aschlager said.