Langston Is Responder Of The Week

Anne Langston has been surrounded by and cared for animals her entire life.

Originally from Massachusetts, Anne has loved animals her whole life, which makes her a natural to be the sole animal control officer for the City of Ulysses.

“It’s been a passion of mine since I was very little,” said Langston, whose husband is a Ulysses native. “I was an only child until I was 12, so I always had pets kind of as my siblings and I think that’s kind of where it stems from, a little bit.”

Growing up, Anne worked in boarding facilities, “Doggy Daycare” and veterinarian offices. She grew up with all manner of animals from horses, dogs, cats and chickens, “The whole nine yards,” she said.

“You learn a lot just by day-to-day things,” she added.

Langston moved to Wyoming with her husband and worked on a ranch for a few years where she worked with 150 horses every day.

“Then we came back (to Ulysses) and I jumped right back into the dog and cat side of things,” Langston said, adding that her life has always been centered around animals.

Langston began working as the Ulysses Animal Control officer in December 2023 and has been vocal in the need for responsible animal ownership whether it be dogs, cats, or chickens, about which she was vocal during last year’s chicken ordinance discussions.

As the Animal Control Officer for the City of Ulysses, Langston has been on the front lines of issues regarding animals – particularly large dogs – running loose across the city. Some of those dogs can be considered dangerous or vicious, and a light was shined on the issue at the March 26 city council meeting where the victim of a February 13 dog attack spoke to the council about an attack by two large dogs that injured her and resulted in the death of her small dog.

Langston attempted to save the small dog in that case.

“It’s always difficult getting those calls,” Langston said, adding that she has a background in veterinary medicine and worked at an emergency animal clinic in Wichita. “I knew when I rolled up, even though the dog was unfortunately on the front lawn, I knew to check (the owner, Alice Baker). Alice was very distraught, so first I checked on Alice to make sure she was okay, then my attention went to Jenny, her sweet little dog.”

Langston checked for and found a heartbeat, “So then I jumped into first responder,” Langston said.

Officers J.B. Brown and Carlos Salinas responded, as well, and secured the attacking animals and took care of Mrs. Baker, while Langston transported Jenny to a veterinarian’s office. Jenny passed away at the veterinarian’s office, and on March 26 the city council stiffened penalties for pet owners of animals at-large.

“I love my job, probably more than I thought I would,” Langston said. “I was excited to start the job, but I really dove into it head-first.”

Langston worked with Ulysses Police Chief Ron Vagher on the updated ordinance and was excited that the city council passed the ordinance March 26.

“My big thing is educating the community,” Langston said. “I’m not just law enforcement; I want to be a resource and share my knowledge with people about the importance of responsible pet ownership and everything that goes under that umbrella.”

Langston is more of a dog chaser than a dog catcher, and said she wants to place them back home rather than at the animal shelter.

“Our shelter has been quite full for some time now so if I can bring them home vs. to the shelter, that’s always the end goal is to get them back to their families and keep them there,” Langston said.

Langston said pet owners can get ID tags on their dogs so if she catches one running loose, she has a phone number or a name to contact. She said even just a tag from the city would help because she has a data base and can contact the owner.

“Spaying and neutering is also a huge help so if your dog does get out, they’re not re-populating,” she added. “Dogs are repopulating faster then I can find rescues or adoptions for them at this point.”

Langston will continue to advocate for responsible per ownership to make sure attacks decline and that all animals in the city are happy and healthy and have a safe place to call home.

“The quality of my work is the quality of their life,” she said.

Each emergency responsder who is selected as Responder of the Week is in the running for Responder of the Month every month, and each Responder of the Month is then eligible for Responder of the Year. Winners are picked randomly from all the current nominees via a digital application to be Responder of the Month.

If you would like to nominate someone for this honor please submit your nomination to news2@ulyssesnews.com. Nominees can be law enforcement officers, 911 dispatchers, firefighters, paramedics, EMTs, military personnel, public health professionals and utility line workers.If you would like to be a part of this program contact the Ulysses News.