Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 9, 1991 TAG: 9102090045
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Smoot, 39, is Montgomery County's new chief dog warden. The Board of Supervisors named him last month to replace Muriel Graham, who retired after 22 years.
The new chief warden, whose annual salary is $17,859, has been working with dogs for much of his adult life. During 16 years in the U.S. Air Force, he trained dogs to guard air bases at night.
More recently he has trained guard dogs for Valley K-9 Kennels in Roanoke.
"I went into the military because I always wanted to be involved in law enforcement," Smoot said. He volunteered for guard-dog duty. "I've always loved animals."
Smoot, in fact, is enthusiastic about dogs. His car license tag reads: K-9 EN4CR.
The constant barking and strong aroma of the guests at the county dog pound off U.S. 460 don't seem to faze the new chief warden a bit.
"He's just a barker," Smoot says of one particular loud-mouthed pound hound. "They bark at each other. They bark at their own shadows."
Did Smoot say he loves dogs?
He must.
His goal in his new job, Smoot said, is to make sure the animals brought into the pound are treated humanely and adopted if at all possible.
Sometimes people will come in and adopt a dog and bring it back the next day, he said. But he tries to avoid that by finding out as much as he can about an animal when it comes into the pound and making sure it's compatible with a prospective owner.
Smoot lives in Vinton, where he can't have any pets because of the rules at his apartment house. But he plans to move to Montgomery County as soon as he can.
He has worked with the Salem Sheriff's Department and as a driver for the Roanoke Times & World-News. He has an associate degree in criminal justice from Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke.
Smoot says he feels comfortable in his new job and with the people he works with. He was appointed for only a six-month term, but that was to align his term with the county's other dog wardens.
Carol Hoge, president of the Montgomery County Humane Society, said she hasn't had an opportunity to meet Smoot yet. But Hoge said a county official has told her the county plans to work more closely with the society, particularly in sharing information about lost and injured animals.
Smoot said he looks foward to that relationship.
by CNB