Meet our Animal Control Officer - Olivia Arent

Olivia Arent: Jericho’s New Animal Control Officer

by Phyl Newbeck

Front Porch Forum is full of posts about missing dogs and cats. As Jericho’s new Animal Control Officer, Olivia Arent wants to reunite people with those missing pets, but she also wants to help people learn how to keep their critters from leaving home in the first place.

Serving as Animal Control Officer requires Arent to be on call to help people locate their pets, as well as to mediate disputes between pet owners. Arent is a professional dog trainer, so she has experience working with both pets and their humans. She also believes that her time working as a project manager has helped hone her people skills. “Everyone wants to be heard,” she said. “I think I can bring a lot of empathy and communication skills to the job.”

Photo caption: Oliva Arent and Riggins on the trail.

A resident of Jericho, Arent feels strongly about being active in her community. Her schedule recently opened up a bit so when she saw the posting for Animal Control Officer, she decided to apply. She would like to expand the job so that it involves more than just upholding the rules. Arent believes that if people had better insights into their pets’ behavior, there would be fewer runaway animals and less discord between neighbors. “People don’t know what they don’t know,” she said.

Growing up, the only television station Arent wanted to watch was Animal Planet. Her pets included dogs, cats, birds, hamsters, and guinea pigs. When she was younger, Arent thought about becoming a veterinarian, but she recognized that she would never be able to put an animal down, so she chose another career path as a dog trainer.

While getting her degree in environmental science at UVM, Arent volunteered with All Breed Rescue. The non-profit shut down after Covid so these days she works with Vermont English Bulldog Rescue which is based in Williston. Every month, roughly 40 dogs of all breeds arrive from Texas, and Arent assists with their arrival at the facility and makes sure their needs are met before their new, pre-approved humans come to pick them up. She helps walk the dogs who are awaiting adoption and offers her assistance to new dog owners who want help with training.

Arent is certified in Animal First Aid and CPR. She said pet CPR isn’t that different from the human version because it involves checking the airways and then applying compression. She noted that there are helpful videos available for those who haven’t taken the course, but she highly recommends taking it.

Through her business, Arent provides a variety of training options for dog owners. She is in the process of getting certified to work with aggressive dogs and specializes in fearful and reactive ones. Arent enjoys providing Trail Puppy Training for those who want to take their dogs to areas that don’t require leashes.

Arent has lots of personal experience with off-leash dogs since she took her Australian Cattle Dog, Riggins, with her when she through-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2019. After college, she had moved to Boston, but she was done with that phase of her life and looking for an adventure. “It felt like a time warp,” she said of her time on the trail. “I’ve always had a really great connection to the environment and the hike just fostered a deeper love.” Arent’s favorite part of the trail was the section in Vermont, and she vowed to move back to the state.

These days, Arent shares her home with two dogs and a cat and enjoys being as active as she can. “I grew up playing every sport imaginable,” she said. “Soccer was my first love, but I discovered Ultimate frisbee in college and that was my second love.” Arent also played basketball, softball, and lacrosse. These days, she is part of a recreational Ultimate league but would like to get back into playing soccer.

Arent is looking forward to easing into her role as Animal Control Officer. “I think this will be fun,” she said. She has been in touch with her counterpart in Underhill to learn more about what the job entails. Arent is already thinking about hosting community events in which she would answer questions and offer different topics of conversation. In particular, she would like to host a class on dog body language. “There’s a lot they have to say,” she said, “but you have to know how to listen and watch their bodies. If we are empathetic to animals and really listen to them, we can avoid a lot of conflicts.”

Photo caption: Olivia Arent with her two rescue dogs, Riggins, an Australian Cattle Dog, and Tuke, a probable Great Pyrenees/Husky mix.