Return of the Varmints!

When last we saw the Wayne County animal control office, it was busy deciding what charges to file against a woman who had kept 17 rescue animals in her as-yet-unlicensed shelter during the rain and floods that accompanied Hurricane Florence.

They have now arrested the woman who operates the rescue operation, Tammie Hedges, and charged her with 12 counts of dispensing medicine without a veterinary license. It seems she gave amoxicillin to some of the animals -- not prescription-grade amoxicillin but the kind that can be bought over the counter. She also "administered an antibiotic ointment to a white Siamese cat." The only action which seems to be iffy is the use of Tramadol, a Schedule IV opiate that requires a prescription.

In any event, we might need to remember these actions were taken during the middle of a hurricane. The shelter owner was not hanging around the Bark Park in a hoodie and sunglasses with a tube of triple antibiotic ointment, saying, "What's the matter, Bowser? Ya ain't chicken, are ya?" Which would probably be ineffective anyway, as Bowser would only recognize the word "chicken" and he would either begin looking for one or run to his owner for a treat.

One thing mystifies me about this latest move. The initial order to surrender the animals came, as best as I can tell, from the kind of nameless bureaucrat we all enjoy dealing with so much. Thanks to things like civil service protection and their ability to call upon Regulatia, the suffocating demonic spirit of the hitherto-unknown Central Office of the Inferno (Slogan: "You only thought the Inner Circle was Hell!"), these people are immune to consequences such as firing or being trained to provide client satisfaction.

But the decision to charge Ms. Hedges seems to have been made by someone in the office of the Wayne County District Attorney, who is an elected official. Despite all manor of sacrifices such as their own character, common sense and in many cases any shred of decency, elected officials have proven unable to tempt Regulatia to protect them as well. They have been forced to rely on Incumbus, itself a powerful being but not from the deep nether regions of the danmed that spawned Regulatia and therefore less effective at protecting its minions and slavish devotees.  Thus, the decision to charge a woman with 12 criminal counts for actions taken while protecting animals during the middle of a hurricane could possibly have electoral repercussions.

Wayne County should be so lucky.