“If you enjoy what you do, you don’t get tired of what you do.”
A lost dog along the highway; a tiger at a nightclub; a donkey in a Toyota Camry – Lead Animal Control Officer Jake Phillips has seen it all. With Animal Care and Control, Phillips is one of the team members who helps reconnect lost animals with their people and supports pet and animal rescue efforts during natural disasters and other emergencies. In this episode of Behind the Crown, we spend a day with Phillips as he travels to keep our four-legged friends safe.
Behind the Crown highlights the people who keep the City of Charlotte running. If you’re interested in starting or extending a career in public service, explore opportunities with the City of Charlotte on our jobs board:
Connect with the City of Charlotte:
Twitter:
Facebook:
Instagram:
LinkedIn:
Officer Jake Phillips with animal Control and uh I'm a Lead Animal control Officer And I've been here 20 years we have a Large animal rescue team we have an Emergency response team we have a HazMat Team I'm on all of them I also am assigned to work with Emergency Management When we have National natural disasters or anything That you know declared emergencies Because everybody has pets we've been Deployed to the coast multiple times for Hurricanes Basically to do that to do animal search And rescue okay looks like we'll go help Officer Guidry There's a Two stray dogs running near the highway A lady caught one and there's still one Running loose 485 at Mount Holly Road I really like it when we're able to Bring an animal back home that's been Missing I think the longest one that I Personally had the dog had been loose For 56 days and it had gotten loose in Mint Hill almost at 485. and we actually Found it and caught it at the 277 Interchange at downtown So it was 20 some odd miles away and 56 Days later and that lady was she was Crying so hard on the phone I couldn't
Tell if she understood that the dog you Know she could come get it Where's you know where it comes back to I have a check here was that a player The number Three we'll go pull it up see what we Can find so this one's got a chip There's a second one that was running Loose with it that went that way But we'll see if we can look up the Chip And Maybe the other one ran home where we Could find an owner There we go That's Joe Mr wood How you doing you Mr wood Yeah Jake Phillips Animal Control nice To meet you so we got one Stacks there's A second one that went that way but he Probably was headed back toward the House do it you got busted buddy [Music] That's basically a perfect uh Perfect setup right there oh it feels Great Um you know it's people always Overjoyed To get their pets back and You know so they're really excited when When we can call them and tell them hey We've picked your dog up and it's safe You know we can bring it home to you Honestly everybody wants to pet raccoons And they are usually not friendly at all And when you snuggle up with a baby
Raccoon it's a rabies exposure Makes a great selfie but but it is not Smart to be Nuzzling with rabies Vector species Even if they're cute you know I've had Weird 20 years worth of weird stuff um We had a baby elephant get loose off a Circus train years ago when they used to Walk in on Tryon You know we had the tiger calls we've Had multiple alligator calls over the Years I personally have had a tiger call About 15 years ago a guy brought it to a Club to pick up girls with and we had to Run him off It's always something Um 10 years ago we caught we caught two Donkeys and we were getting ready to Bring a trailer out and a car full of Young ladies shows up in a Camry and They just took him and put them in the Back of their car and rolled the window Down so he could stick his head out and Off they went I was like okay it's your donkey the Truth is Stranger Than Fiction out here Uh good afternoon this officer Phillips Over Animal Control calling for Chris And y'all called about a cat Oh okay I see a mama cat up on the curb Is that the one yeah You got a buddy down there or what
Kitty kitty Actually don't see or hear anything down There You see how see how he's already hanging Out they will they will jump down and Jump back up they can be six feet deep And they'll still uh they can still get Out I wonder if it was him that was down There We do a lot of chasing our tail On a job where we're chasing things with Tails and you know of course the one That you you know you downplay is the One that turns out to be a mess when you Get there I like working here but this is just It's different I enjoy it and You know if you enjoy what you do then You don't get tired of what you do Oh
Things to Do in Charlotte, North Carolina
Events
Life
Charlotte is a city with plenty of things to do. The city has a great mix of cultural hotspots and upscale neighborhoods. The booming economy and good schools attract people of all ages to this metropolis, which is also one of the best places in the country to find a job.
Sports
Charlotte has a huge variety of professional sports teams and a large population of sports fans. They host a number of major events like the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race, and the Wells Fargo Championship golf tournament. You can find bars packed with sports fans when it’s time to cheer on their favorite teams.
Arts & Culture
Charlotte’s vibrant culture is evident everywhere you go, including its museums and galleries. There are two art museums: Mint Museum Randolph and Mint Museum Uptown, which feature a wide selection of works from across the world.
Music & Theater
The city’s rich musical history is celebrated at the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame, which pays tribute to North Carolina musicians. Visitors can learn about instruments, costumes, and more.
Food & Drink
The Charlotte Public Market is a fun way to experience the city’s unique culinary culture. You can find everything from local restaurants to craft breweries here.
Weather & Climate
Temperatures vary considerably throughout the year. The warmest months are July and August, when temperatures reach the upper 80s. During the winter, days can be chilly with highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s.