City Has New Top Dog to Lead Dallas Animal Services

The city has named a new director of its embattled Dallas Animal Services department.In an announcement Tuesday, the city said Ed Jamison, the former chief animal control officer for the city of Cleveland, will take over the position after a nationwide search that was whittled down last month to six top candidates.Jamison takes over the spot that has been filled in the interim by Deputy Police Chief Rob Sherwin and police Maj. Barbara Hobbs, who was one of the finalists. Jamison was credited with refining Cleveland's animal care operations and for improving the City Dogs Cleveland adoption program. He also oversaw the design of the city's kennel that is expected to be completed in 2018. Under his leadership, the Cleveland Kennel averages an 86 percent save rate for animals entering the shelter, according to Dallas officials. Prior to his work for Cleveland animal control, Jamison went from working in lawn care to maintaining military equipment in Iraq and then onto municipal equipment operations in Ohio.He told the News that animal welfare is tough no matter where in the country someone is, but said Dallas appealed to him because "I don't want to walk into a place that has it all figured out."  Continue reading...