Martinsville Police Department taking a unique approach to animal control

MARTINSVILLE (WSLS 10) - Incoming Virginia Tech senior Hunter Jennings is going to have quite the summer.

Jennings is studying animal and poultry science at Tech and will be interning with the Martinsville Police Department's animal control officer the next few months.

Officer E.C. Stone says the department is the only one in Virginia that he is aware of that is currently doing this. He believes it will help younger people who want to work with animals understand more than they would by working in a vet's office or with the SPCA.

"We will be doing all phases of the animal control job from operating the shelter on a day-to-day basis [to] doing the field work," Stone explained. "We want to show [the intern] everything from the start to the finish, which is the courtroom prosecution."

Jennings says she is looking forward to the unique experience.

"I know that here it kind of covers both bases, with safety for people and animals coming in together," Stone said.

She will complete her internship at the end of the summer and plans to graduate next spring.