Zander to the rescue
Jun. 25—ASHTABULA — The city's animal control officer garnered a new sidekick Wednesday.
Zander Chiaramonte, a youngster from Ashtabula's east side, went above and beyond the call of duty, said Stephen Lanham, animal control officer.
"He walked up to my truck then jumped in my front seat and said, 'I'm Zander. I'm 7-and-a-half-years old and that means only 11-and-a-half more years until I'm 18 and I can do whatever I want — now drive. We have to go save this dog,'" Lanham said.
Zander then directed Lanham to his house on East 51st Street, where a stray female tan-and-brown pit bulldog was hanging out.
When Zander opened the truck door, the pooch jumped in.
"Zander was given a Matchbox animal control truck for his meritorious service," Lanham said.
The boy's mother, Kristyn Chiaramonte, said Zander loves animals.
"We have bunnies, cats and dogs," she said.
His father, Jeffrey Chiaramonte, said, "Zander makes us proud every day. He was so excited to help animal control and extremely excited with how nice the animal control officer was to him."
Lanham said he couldn't do his job without help from people like Zander and the local rescues.
The dog is being housed at the Ashtabula County Animal Protective League in Kingsville Township.
