Dogs, cats, horses, skunks, monkeys, turtles and snakes are just a few of the animals author Norma Haskins rescued during her 34 years as an animal control officer. Her new book, Unleashed, reveals the stories behind these exciting saves. 

Norma Haskins received a call from a frantic dog owner asking her to rush over quickly to help her dog. The family basset hound had been snooping around in his master’s tackle box and was impaled by six shiny, sharp fish hooks. Fish hooks were stuck in his ears, face and jowls. Norma carefully cut the fishing line so the dog wouldn’t hurt himself anymore and quickly drove him to the veterinarian, where he was sedated and relieved of hooks. Both owner and man’s best friend learned a valuable lesson that day…keep the tackle box up on the shelf and stay away from shiny, pointy objects.  

After 34 years as an animal control officer, Norma Haskins has many adventures and memories like this one to share. This is the story of some of her adventures in animal control. Back when Haskins started, there weren’t many women in the field; by the time she retired, women ACOs outnumbered the men. By telling these stories, Haskins hopes to give the public a better idea exactly what animal control officers actually do.

About the Author



Norma D. Haskins is retired after working 34 years as an animal control officer. She resides in Marshfield, Massachusetts with her husband, Artie. Unleashed contains some of the memories from Norma’s life as an animal control officer.