Lisa Labuz: Chicago Aldermen are starting the process of approving a $16 billion dollar spending plan for next year. Now you might think this process is all spreadsheets and taxes. But today aldermen got to take a walk on the wild side because it was Chicago Animal Care and Controls turn to testify before the city council. So from poop pickup to wandering deer, aldermen raised a slew of animal related complaints - I know you want to hear all about it. WBEZ's Mariah Woelfel takes us through todays hearing.

Mariah Woelfel: Chicago aldermen field a lot of calls about animals and not just dogs and cats, says Alderman James Cappleman.

James Cappleman: I once was called to rescue a tarantula.

Mariah Woelfel: Newly appointed alderwoman Nicole Lee says one of the weirdest calls her office has ever received was about a month into the job. 

Nicole Lee: One of the people on the phone was speaking to a constituent and I overheard "I'm sorry ma'am, did you, how many alligators did you say, were in the garage? 

Mariah Woelfel: Two. There were two alligators and a giant snapping turtle in the garage of an 11th ward resident on the Southwest Side. But no matter the problem creature described, Animal Care and Control's Executive Director Mamadou Diakhate reassured aldermen, his team is ready to help.

Mamadou Diakhate: They'll be pleased to come and handle it, get those animals and take them where they need to be.

Mariah Woelfel: But it's dogs and their owners that seems to be the cause for more serious issues aldermen are facing. For instance, people have been fighting over off-leash dogs in the North Side's 32nd Ward.

Scott Waguespack: We're racking up, you know, broken elbows from seniors getting knocked down, kids getting bit, all sorts of things that I think have escalated throughout COVID.

Mariah Woelfel: Alderman Scott Waguespack says he himself got bit when trying to wrangle a loose pup last year.

Scott Waguespack: And what we've seen is a serious escalation in violent acts between dog owners, or parents, and things like that. To the point where we've got people threatening each other with guns, you know, coming into our office and saying they're going to go out and shoot somebody if they see their dog out there again.

Mariah Woelfel: It's illegal to take your dog off leash on Chicago streets and sidewalks. But animal care and control has a hard time issuing tickets, saying residents are hesitant to provide identification to their workers. Leaders vowed to hold ward meetings with the Police Department to try to boost awareness. A few miles north west near a nature preserve, its wandering deer causing trouble.

Andre Vasquez: The deer have figured out how to cross Western. 

Mariah Woelfel: Alderman Andre Vasquez says the deer are strolling right past the tattoo shop, car dealership and taco joint along Western Avenue - they're instead gobbling up the shrubbery in the front and back yards of the Arcadia terrace and Budlong Woods neighborhoods. The hearing was capped off with testimony from one of the council's most enthusiastic animal advocates.

Pat Dowell: And Alderman Lopez. I knew you were going to be here for this one.

Mariah Woelfel: Lopez started with a sad tale about a sick dog who - spoiler alert - does get better.

Raymond Lopez: About two weeks ago, one of my dogs, one of my seven dogs... became deathly ill. You - you know her, Lois, my wild and crazy one.

Mariah Woelfel: Lopez says Lois recovered thanks to an emergency vet he had the money to pay for. He used the story to pitch the Animal Department to prop up and run its own 24 hour emergency room for the city's sickest animals, which it currently doesn't have. It's a lofty goal for a department with just around 80 employees and $7 million dollars a year, but leadership nods along at Lopez's vision. Budget hearings continue all week, likely with less testimony about dogs, cats and alligators. Mariah Woelfel, WBEZ News.

WBEZ transcripts are generated by an automatic speech recognition service. We do our best to edit for misspellings and typos, but mistakes do come through.