[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 172 (Thursday, November 3, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1108]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONGRATULATING LAWRENCE HIGGINBOTTOM BEING NAMED ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER 
                              OF THE YEAR

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                            HON. STEVE COHEN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 3, 2022

  Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Lawrence 
Higginbottom of Memphis Animal Services, who has been named Animal 
Control Officer of the Year by the National Animal Care and Control 
Association. Part of his job--a part he has a reputation for handling 
well--is reuniting animals with their owners, a priority with 
progressive animal shelters like Memphis Animal Services that operate 
on a ``community-centered'' model, The shelter recently received a 
$50,000 grant from an animal welfare group to hire a pet-reunification 
specialist. According to a story in The Daily Memphian, Mr. 
Higginbottom recently picked up a dog in Memphis that had been on the 
loose for five years. Because the dog had received an under-skin 
microchip, Mr. Higginbottom quickly found the owners by phone--650 
miles away in Austin, Texas. The family arrived to pick up Cheerio the 
next day. Because most dogs are lost less than half a mile from their 
owners' homes, Mr. Higginbottom often finds himself knocking on nearby 
neighbors' doors with the lost pet on a leash. When the shelter held a 
dog-owner reunification competition among animal control officers this 
past summer, Mr. Higginbottom won it. As a proud and longtime member of 
the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, it is inspiring to know 
that Memphis has such a caring and thoughtful animal control officer. I 
congratulate Mr. Higginbottom for this well-deserved national 
recognition.

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