Gary Mayor Prince Names New Animal Welfare Board
Gary Mayor Jerome A. Prince today named the City of Gary’s first Animal Welfare Board. The board will advise Mayor Prince and educate the public on animal control in the City and animal welfare practices.
Mayor Prince said he formed the board to support an animal control ordinance passed by the Gary Common Council in 2019, but it also will improve quality of life for Gary residents and their pets. Cities and towns with strong animal control policies also are more attractive for residents and potential residents, he said.
“The animal control ordinance will help protect our residents and their pets, and the Animal Welfare Board will advise me on best practices in animal control,” Mayor Prince said. “It’s an important part of cleaning up our neighborhoods and making them safer.”
The Animal Welfare Board members are:
• Darlene Breitenstein, director, Gary Animal Control
• Sabrina Haake, founder, Gary Animal Welfare Coalition
• Angie Malinowski, director, Schererville Animal Control
• Jessica Petales, director, Humane Indiana Shelter
• Jerry Kanies, president, Humane Society of NWI
• Frieda White, director, Humane Society of NWI
• Gary Carlton, owner, All Pets Supplies
• Lindsey Wright, owner, Right Way Kennel
• Skylar Starks, youth participant
• Michelle Robinson, director, Cause For Paws
Rebecca Wyatt, the former First District representative on the Gary Common Council said a strong animal control ordinance will help protect animals, and the Animal Welfare Board will help advise Mayor Prince and city leaders on decisions that will make Gary a more attractive place to live.
“When I helped pass the 2019 ordinance calling for the humane treatment of animals in Gary, I really wanted to do what I could to end the cruelty some pets face in our city,” Ms. Wyatt said. “This Gary Animal Welfare Board is a great way to put in place policies and procedures that protect our pets while also making Gary a more attractive city to potential residents.”
