Columbiana County’s new Humane Agent Fabian Pike was administered his oath of office on Dec. 18, at the Columbiana County Probate Court, filling the long vacant office. Pike will serve as both county humane agent and the Columbiana County Humane Society’s new shelter manager and brings an extensive background working in animal welfare to the position —having previously served as Chief Humane Agent for Mahoning and Trumbull County. (Photo by Morgan Ahart)

SALEM–The Columbiana County Humane Society has welcomed a new shelter manager and humane agent.

Fabian Pike joined the Columbiana County Humane Society as its new shelter manager on Dec. 2 and was officially sworn in as Columbiana County’s Humane Agent on Dec. 18, filling a near two-year vacancy in the position. Pike brings extensive experience to the role, having served as chief humane agent for both Mahoning and Trumbull Counties, and offers his expertise through consulting to Mahoning, Trumbull, and Harrison counties in Ohio, and to Metcalf County in Kentucky. Pike is also a certified master trainer for humane agents. He also owns Lemony Snippet’s Spay and Neuter Clinic in Struthers.

As the county humane agent Pike investigates reports of animal cruelty and can make arrests and file charges like any other law enforcement agent and can seize animals which are not being properly cared for. Pike won’t be conducting those investigations alone, with the Humane Society set to add another part-time humane agent soon.

“If there’s a cruelty case animal control contacts us, we go out and investigate, charge that person and take them to court and usually there is either a misdemeanor or fine if cruelty took place. We have the authority to pretty much handle anything involving cruelty to animals,” he said.

Pike said that he first came to the Humane Society to offer the services of his veterinary clinic, and that a few members of the Humane Society’s board of directors had been there and offered him the job.

“One of them recognized me, I believe because I was on the new a lot for some of the seizures I had made, and they asked me if I wanted a job jokingly and I said, ‘not really.’ We talked for a minute and when I realized that they really needed somebody and that they hadn’t had a humane officer here for the last two years, it was troubling,” said Pike. “We had a meeting and discussed it, and [the board] said that they couldn’t afford to pay that much. I told them ‘It’s not about the money to me, it hasn’t been about the money for a long time, it’s about the animals that need help’ and I’ll stand by that.”

Pike said that his passion for helping people and animals in need began when he was a child traveling around the country with his family for his father’s missionary work. That passion was further cultivated by his service in the United States Army from 1997-2009, and his service in the United States Army Reserve from 2009-2020, where he also had his first experience working with animals when he served as a K-9 officer for the military police. Pike said that existing experience working with animals motivated him to apply for his first humane officer position in Mahoning County after relocating from Kentucky to Lowellville in 2011 where he remained until 2013. He also said that after that initial position he got hooked and has been working in animal welfare in various positions ever since.

Pike said that he “believes the community will be pleasantly surprised at the actions and charges [he] brings forth” as humane agent, and that he will see every case through regardless of how long it takes. He explained that his philosophy to enforcement is “educate, re-educate, take.”

“This is not baseball. It is not three strikes and you’re out. I educate an individual, I tell them ‘You can’t keep your animal outside there’s a severe weather warning you have to bring them in.’ I give them a printout that tells them exactly what they need to do, and I advise them on their shelter. I am not rude, I am not hateful, but I’m very direct,” he said. “This is what you need to do, and I need to see this when I come back out. If I come back out and items are still not finished, I’ll tell them again what needs fixed and stand there until I see them complete two of them and give them a deadline, and if I go back out there and they didn’t do it, I’ll say ‘I’ve told you this twice, the animal is coming with me today.'”

Pike said that he would also be implementing a new program at the humane society which he calls “compassionate action.” This policy will see a Facebook feed created where Pike will thank individual donors for their support and show what that donation is being used for in real time. He said that the policy is intended to make sure that people can see how their donations to the humane society, which receives no government funding and operates exclusively through donated funds, are benefitting the animals.

“I will take the donation, I will go into Home Depot and video me spending that money and say ‘thank you, you just provided us with eight cinderblocks we needed for our new kennels and I just wanted to make sure you knew that your money went to helping the animals’ so that people will know where their money is going,” he said. “I think that’s super important for donations. If you can show somebody what happens to the money they give you, it goes a long way towards earning their support.”