The phone in Jay Blatche’s office at Animal Control rings almost constantly from 7 a.m. until he goes home.  In between calls he checks on the shelter animals and helps train staff.  Only three months into his new role as director of Catawba County Animal Control, he’s already shaking things up to improve the quality of service.

On Tuesday, Blatche announced the county’s fifth confirmed case of rabies in the after a dog tied behind a home on Arville-Metta off St. Peter’s Church Road killed a raccoon on March 23.

As someone who has worked in animal control for many years, Blatche is adamant about rabies vaccination.  Educating the public on the importance of pets receiving the rabies shot is one of his main initiatives.

Every April Animal Control hosts a series of low-cost animal rabies vaccination clinics where people can get their dogs and cats the rabies shot for $7.  On April 1, a clinic will be held at the Catawba County Animal Control building, with many more throughout the month at locations throughout the county.  Blatche plans to propose the county holds clinics throughout the year rather than for one month.

Blatche hopes to hold rabies clinics every second Saturday of the month from April through October, when the majority of rabies cases tend to be reported.  He said that system worked well in Guilford County, where he served as chief of its animal control for three years before coming to Catawba County on Jan. 1.

“That way there’s no excuse not to get the animal vaccinated,” he said with seven months of ample opportunity to get the animal vaccinated.

Blatche has also helped update all the computer programs so they can keep more accurate records in the future. This is also his first experience having animal control and an animal shelter together.

It’s still a big change from Guilford County though where there was an average for 100-200 calls per day.  In Catawba County, the average is 40-50 calls a day.

“It’s the same work on a smaller scale,” Blatche said.

He also plans to start doing more programs within the county’s schools.  Blatche said he would like bring some puppies or kittens into the schools and talk to the students about rabies.  He believes the program would help more people understand the importance of rabies vaccinations.

“The kids educate the parents,” Blatche said.  “A lot of times that’s what it takes.”

He first began working with animals during his 27 years of service in the U.S. Coast Guard.  Blatche started by helping the vet with one animal case and before long, he was an unofficial animal specialist who was asked to help with nearly every animal control case on the base.  After he retired from the Coast Guard on Jan. 1, 2004, he spent three months at home before he realized he wanted to return to animal control work.  That’s when he applied to become Guilford County’s Chief of Animal Control.

He wanted to work in Catawba County after he fell in love with the area when he came to visit some friends in the summer of 2007.  When he heard about the open position with Catawba County Animal Control, he seized the opportunity.

As for the number of rabies cases this year, Blatche said it’s nothing people should be alarmed about.  He said the number of rabies reports seems to have a cycle where they steadily increase for about two years before declining again.  He said it doesn’t mean there are any more cases than normal, just that more rabid animals are finding their way into populated areas.  It happens more as development increases, which drives more animals from their natural habitats and into people’s yards, he said.

He said the disease confuses animals and sometimes makes them blind, so they are more likely to come out from the woods and toward residential areas.  This behavior is highly irregular from a healthy animal, especially during the day since they are nocturnal.

“That’s why people should never go near wild animals,” he said.

If anyone sees an animal they suspect may have rabies or thinks their pet has come in contact with a rabid animal, they should report it to animal control at (828) 465-8229.