animal control

American  

[an-uh-muhl kuhn-trohl] / ˈæn ə məl kənˌtroʊl /

noun

1. a government entity that takes custody of stray domestic animals and facilitates their return to or placement in a home environment, defends animals from abuse and neglect, and protects the public from aggressive or dangerous animals.

   Someone needs to call animal control to deal with the feral cats in this neighborhood.

---

Etymology

Origin of animal control

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

“One time my dad was in the garage, he kicked something in front of the refrigerator that he felt moved and he couldn’t see too well. They called animal control and it was an eight-foot boa constrictor,” Johnson said.

From Los Angeles Times

Would Prospect Park be a good place to drop her off for animal control to find?

From Slate

Tibbs, who has a background in animal control and has his rabies inoculation, wrapped a leash in the groundhog’s mouth so it wouldn’t bite.

From Fox News

No animal control officers or others in the region appear to have gotten sick with any related issues — all good news for Arlington and Northern Virginia more broadly, he said.

From Washington Post

During one shift, he remembers responding to a call about one blue jay with “big bug eyes” — something he had never seen in years of working in animal control.

From Washington Post