Animal warden shares her passion for pets

Despite the reputation given to big-screen dogcatchers as the infamous villain, Kalispell’s lone animal warden took on her demanding role out of a lifelong love of animals and a desire to see them thrive.

For Niki Sevesind, the long hours patrolling the city streets, the nerve-racking encounters with aggressive dogs and their sometimes aggressive owners and the constant physical and emotional strain of her job has become a burden she bears with pride.

Since childhood, Sevesind said she has been surrounded by animals. Feathered and furry family members flocked to her home in Columbia Falls, where she was born and raised.

After graduating from high school, she attended Flathead Valley Community College, spending as much of her time as possible working jobs for Glacier National Park and the U.S. Forest Service while earning her associate degree in criminal justice.

Animals entered her professional life when she took her first job at the Humane Society of Northwest Montana before moving over to the Flathead County Animal Shelter. There she took on the role of kennel supervisor and loved every moment.

Together with the shelter staff, Sevesind said she worked relentlessly with rescue dogs, trying to find them homes before overcrowding forced them to euthanize for space, a worst-case scenario for the avid dog lover.

Through countless hours of work with the Flathead Spay and Neuter Task Force and tireless advocating for responsible action by pet owners, the shelter went from bursting at the seams with around 80 dogs at a time to a half-empty kennel.

Still, Sevesind said, at the shelter she felt she had very little authority to make a difference in the public’s attitude and treatment of animals.

It was during her time working at the shelter that she met her husband, Jon Sevesind, who was and still is working for the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office as an animal control officer.

The two were married, combining their pets and children for a full house of four kids, seven dogs and a few ducks and chickens sprinkled in.

NOT LONG after, Sevesind left the shelter to fill the Kalispell Police Department’s vacant position of animal warden.

At that time, she said, she had quite the challenge ahead of her. In the absence of an enforcing officer, dog owners knew and cared little about the city’s animal ordinances.

Sevesind got to work, patrolling parks and neighborhoods and cracking down on barking dogs, dogs at large and animal cruelty cases for the last three years.

Soon after starting, she discovered the gruesome side of the job, at times responding to dog bites that had left a person’s face mangled or having to pick up a dog that had been killed by a car while roaming to return the body to its owner.

She worked long hours dealing with heavy, strong and ornery dogs that wanted little to do with a strange woman with a leash and a badge.

Their owners often showed even less gratitude, sometimes barking louder at Sevesind than the dogs.

“You’re dealing with all kinds of people because all kinds of people have dogs,” she said. “I’ve definitely been called names, but that’s part of this job.”

Over the course of her career, Sevesind said she has rarely been bitten, the worst bite coming from a problematic Pomeranian.

Despite the trials of the job, Sevesind said she feels she has the best of both worlds. She gets to work with and help both animals and their owners.

The most rewarding part, she said, are the opportunities she gets to educate people on how to properly care for their animals and help desperate or struggling owners figure out the best course of action for their pets.

“It’s helping the animals, but it’s also helping the people, too,” she said. “You don’t want everyone who can’t afford food or vet care for their animals to give them up because then the shelter would be full.”

One recent case came about when the owners of two large malamutes named Needa and Kitka reached out to her in desperation after finding they could no longer adequately care for their dogs.

Sevesind said she was first contacted by a concerned neighbor who had heard the dogs barking and asked her to check on them. Soon after she began talking with the dogs’ owners, she discovered that they were overwhelmed with the responsibility of the large, fluffy dogs’ many needs.

The couple had loved and cared for the dogs since puppyhood, but after six years, felt the dogs deserved a home that would better suit them. However, their love for their pets kept them from surrendering them to the shelter where they feared they would be euthanized if they were not adopted.

Through her interaction with the owners, Sevesind was able to educate them on the shelter’s no-kill policy, a policy that was put into place during her time working there.

Sevesind left the couple with new information and a lot to think about. A few days later, she heard back and found they had decided to surrender the dogs to the shelter in hopes that they would be able to adequately care for the dogs and find them a home that could then do the same.

“I like educating the public on how to better take care of their animals or give them options if they’re feeling upset or overwhelmed in taking care of them,” she said.

This was one case, according to Sevesind, that, so far, has improved as a result of her actions.

After some much needed grooming and a little medical care, Needa and Kitka are now thriving at the Flathead County Animal Shelter and waiting for a new owner to take them home.

FROM WRITING citations to returning lost pets, Sevesind said she is hopeful that the work she does, though not always appreciated, makes a difference for pets, owners and the community as a whole.

Armed with mace for aggressive dogs, treats for runaways and a giant SUV with the words “Animal Control” on the side, Sevesind said she loves her job because “you never know what you’re going to get.”

She laughs when children point and wave and construction workers jab at each other, saying animal control is coming to pick them up.

Though much of her work goes unnoticed and unappreciated, Sevesind said she feels she is making a difference and cannot imagine leaving her new found calling as Kalispell’s animal warden.

Reporter Mary Cloud Taylor can be reached at 758-4459 or mtaylor@dailyinterlake.com.