Animal control officer saves drowning rooster

PICO RIVERA -- SEAACA animal control officers responding to reports of a boisterous rooster instead found themselves saving the bird's life.Animal control Officer Simone Robinson responded to a home on the 9600 block of Bascom Street in Pico Rivera about noon Sept. 2 to assist code enforcement with a stray rooster. "Apparently this little guy's crowing was too much for some neighbors, so they complained to SEAACA and code enforcement," Capt. Aaron Reyes, director of operations for SEAACA, said in a statement. Crowing fowl are illegal to own in Pico Rivera. When Robinson arrived, she was called to the backyard where she spotted the young white rooser "frolicking in the yard." As Robinson approached, the rooster made a half-hearted attempt to fly away but ended up in the swimming pool. "I thought (for sure) he could swim, or at least fly out of the water, but he began to struggle and sank," said Robinson, who jumped in the pool to save the bird. "I was able to reach him within seconds and carry him to safety," she added. "He gurgled and coughed a little but had a look of relief in his little eyes." The rooster was taken to SEAACA's facilities in Downey, where officials are hoping to place him into a new home. The rooster has been named "Splash." "We're looking for a new place for Splash to call home," Reyes said. "Preferably one without a swimming pool." For information on adopting Splash, call (562) 803-3301.

********** Published: September 11, 2009 - Volume 8 - Issue 21