Friends of MCHS: Nancy Dacek

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Nancy Dacek served on the Montgomery County Council from 1990 until 2002, with responsibility for budget and animal control issues.  She was instrumental in transitioning the county's Animal Services Division (date) from a stand-alone department to a division of the MoCo Police Department.   This move has helped MCHS be more efficient at doing its job by making it easier to communicate with both groups.

Dacek proposed this change to the County Council and it passed for several reasons:  As part of the police force, ASD would have more legal authority to enforce the Animal Control Laws, and as a unified team, ASD and the police could deal more effectively with animal control and rescue.  So far the realignment has been a win-win situation for both.

Raising public awareness of MCHS

While serving on the MoCo Council, Dacek raised public awareness of the unique importance and value the Humane Society has played in the lives of its citizens through some key legislation.  In 1998(?) she collaborated with the HS and some interested individual citizens to revise some of the Animal Control Laws.  Among the revisions she worked on were whether a dog could be chained in a backyard; providing water and shelter for all dogs; and issues related to spaying and neutering.

"No bad dogs"

From time to time there have been attempts to amend the Animal Control Laws.  A few years ago, there was an attempt to ban ownership of certain breeds of dogs such as rottweilers and pit bulls because of their presumed aggressive natures.  Dacek opposed this amendment to the law.   Others did as well and the proposal was defeated.

“There are no bad dogs, only bad owners,” she said.

Other issues

Dacek served on the Public Safety Committee during her tenure with the Montgomery County Council.  She dealt with animal control issues that came before the committee.  Her advocacy led to an increase in the number of officers in the Animal Services Division, and purchase of new, better equipped animal control vans for the division.  She also succeeded in getting a much-needed salary increase for Humane Society employees.

A new shelter = Today's greatest need

MCHS desperately needs a new housing facility, Dacek said.  “The building is more than 30 years old and, because of its advanced age, is very run-down and in poor physical condition.”   While on the Council she worked tirelessly to achieve this goal, but unfortunately, funding was not appropriated.  (Note: The county has since developed plans to build a new shelter.)

In a July 2001 news release Dacek was quoted, “The Humane Society does great work for Montgomery County.  This agreement (the contract under which MCHS, a private nonprofit, operates the animal shelter for the county) makes sure MCHS can keep on doing great work.  Council staff, the Police, and the County Executive were enormously helpful in making sure we drafted a fair deal for all.  Montgomery residents – and Montgomery animals – are the big winners.” 

By the way, Nancy is a proud beagle owner. 

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