Animal Control Educational Publications:
The Animal Control Officer provides information pertaining to wildlife and domestic animals located in the Village of Morton Grove. Each month, a new topic is shared on our social media page (see: Morton Grove Police Department FB page) and in the Village of Morton Grove’s email newsletter. Copies of past publications are posted to this page.
Resource: Facebook—Morton Grove Police Department
Domestic Animal Publications:
- Be the Paw-fect Valentine!
- Keeping pets away from Valentine’s Day dangers.
- Behavioral Enrichment
- DIY cognitive dog toys & Dog-opoly!
- Canine Food Guide
- Toxic and hazardous human foods that your dog should avoid.
- Canine Winter Shelters
- Safety measures for winter-friendly dog houses.
- Heat Stroke in Dogs
- Signs and dangers of heat stroke in dogs.
- Holiday Décor & Pet Safety
- Understanding common holiday décor dangers, and how to keep your pets safe during the holiday season.
- Hot Dog!
- Preventing the tragic death or injury of pets left alone in parked cars.
- HOWLoween
- Halloween safety tips for your furry friends—considerations for costumes, meet & greets, identification, plants (i.e., pumpkins), glow sticks, etc.
- Indoor Cats
- Creating the purr-fect indoor environment (enrichment, companionship, perches & posts, etc.)
- Considerations for indoor cat health.
- Lost Pets
- Proper identification for pets, including microchips and traditional pet I.D. tags.
- No Tricks, No Treats
- Protecting your pets from dangerous Halloween candies.
- Outdoor Cats
- Assessing the risk of an outdoor lifestyle for cats.
- Health, safety, and environmental concerns.
- Pandemic Pooches
- Considerations for residents who brought a new pet into their home during the pandemic.
- Pets & Fireworks
- Tips that should be followed to make the fireworks celebrations less frightening for your pets.
- Pets & Plants
- Considerations for plants that can be toxic or harmful to pets.
- Pets & Salt
- Precautions that should be taken when walking dogs during the winter months; and when pets encounter salt outside.
- Pets & Ticks
- Protecting your pets from ticks, including tick removal and prevention.
- Pets & Wildlife
- How to minimize your pet’s contact with and impact on wildlife.
- The Link
- Often times, animal issues (whether it’s cruelty or neglect) are a warning sign that other problems & crimes exist within the household.
- The areas where these crimes overlap—between cruelty to animals & violence towards humans—is called “The Link.”
- Winter Wellness & Pets
- Understanding that dogs and cats are susceptible to frostbite and hypothermia, especially exposed skin on noses, ears, and paw pads.
Wildlife Publications:
- Avian Influenza
- Recommendations to mitigate the spread of the virus among wild bird populations.
- Baby Bunnies
- What to do if you find a nest of baby bunnies.
- How to know if a wild bunny needs help.
- Baby Wildlife
- What you should and should not do if you find a baby animal.
- Considerations for: deer, birds, rabbits, squirrels, opossums, raccoons, foxes, and skunks.
- Bird Feeders
- Bird feeder maintenance and cleaning checklist.
- Canada Goose
- Information on the legal status of Canada Geese, which are protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act & by Illinois State Law.
- Stages of nesting, habitat, and conflict management.
- Living with Skunks
- How to identify the presence of skunks and their dens.
- Preventative measures that can be taken (exclusion techniques) and removal.
- Oh Deer
- Information on the White-Tailed Deer in Illinois.
- Red-Winged Blackbirds
- Understanding that these birds are protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
- Bird behavior, nesting period, and recommendations for conflict management.
- Skunked 101
- Removing the skunk oil from your pet’s coat after being sprayed.
- The Urban Coyote Fact Sheet
- The benefits of urban coyotes.
- How to deter coyotes, when to act (protecting pets), and what to do when conflict arises.
- The Urban Coyote (Part 1)
- There are state and local laws protecting coyotes; therefore, requests for service must be handled in accordance with best practices.
- Education of the public will provide positive means for coexistence with coyotes.
- Coyotes play a vital role in ecological balance.
- The Urban Coyote (Part 2)
- Proper identification of a coyote, average urban coyote life span, and stages of reproduction.
- Urban coyote diet, and their importance in ecological balance.
- Coyotes inhabit virtually every available territory in Cook County.
- Understanding coyote behavior, and determining the presence of coyotes in the area.
- The Urban Coyote (Part 3)
- Understanding events of conflict (incidents) and various categories of coyote attacks.
- How to protect pets from coyote encounters, and other safety considerations for human-coyote encounters.
- Methods for deterring coyote activity near residences (mitigation).
- The Urban Coyote (Part 4)
- In areas where coyotes most likely traverse, habitat modifications and exclusion may help deter coyotes from direct encounters with humans and pets.
- Hazing is conducted with the intention of changing or reversing the behavior of habituated coyotes, to re-instill a fear of people.
- Understanding Skunks
- Understanding the important ecological role that skunks provide to the areas they inhabit.
- Skunk behavior and warning signs to heed.
Rodent Control Publications:
- Look for Evidence of Rats
- Evidence indicating the presence of rats in an area.
- Rats or Mice
- Understanding the difference between the presence of house mice or Norway rats.
- Rodent Checklist
- Questions that will help residents in determining if there are conditions on a property that could be contributing to rodent activity.
- Rodent Control Guidelines
- Rodent control program for the inspection of rats, treatment of burrows, and ensuring that preventative measures are in place.
- Sanitation Guidelines
- Rodent-proofing your property.