THE DOG WARDEN

How would you like to become the town's Dog Warden? No, that's not an elected position for some demoted politician. Rather, it's just a fancy way of saying "dog catcher." Albion once had a Dog Warden that took care of canine problems in our community during the 1960s.

Albion's own "dog pound" opened for business on Tuesday, June 26, 1962 on Brownswood Road, northeast of the city sewage treatment plant. The structure had been built by local contractor Claire Torrey. The first dog to come to the pound was a brown mongrel about six months old which had been brought in by John Barclay, Dog Warden for the eastern part of Calhoun County. He also brought in another "county dog" so that by the end of the first week of operation, Albion's new dog pound had two occupants.

Following Barclay, the position was assumed by Wayne Sleeper (1916-1990) under the auspices of Calhoun County, who is listed as City Dog Warden in the 1965 City Directory. Back then there was a five-day waiting period for the owner to come claim their animal. There was also a $5 boarding fee for that period. After that, the dog went on the adoption list. The dogs were housed in several stalls, but there was also a chain linked fence area outside where they could go.

The dog pound concept eventually became too expensive and outmoded to operate, as other county-wide policies regarding stary animals were enacted which gravitated towards the Battle Creek area. The Albion dog pound was eventually abandoned and demolished.

From our Historical Notebook this week we present a February 22, 1964 photo of Albion Dog Warden Wayne Sleeper with his latest catch, a Border Collie. How many of our readers, in whatever city you live in, ever had their dog snatched up by the Dog Warden and taken to a dog pound? Dog gone-it.

	Frank Passic — Albion Historian An Albion native and 1971 graduate of Albion High School, Frank Passic has been researching and writing Albion history since 1976. He is the creator of the Albion Historical Notebook, with hundreds of articles appearing weekly in the Morning Star and The Recorder. Frank maintains an extensive personal archive including Riverside Cemetery records, family surname files, genealogies, photographs, city directories, and high school yearbooks. Support his 2026 research at the Historic Albion Michigan Facebook page. Historical Notebook \| From the Archives \| Subject List \| 100 Years Ago \| Alphabetical Index \| Frank Passic Home Page \| Albion History Books \| Contact Frank
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