Animal lover finds the perfect career

Even from a young age, Megan Mattinson was mesmerized by animals. She watched every animal themed show she could. She even spent some time shadowing the Animal Control Officer in Summit County.

Back in Nov. 2022, Mattinson heard about the job opening here in Morgan County for the ACO and applied. “It’s always been a when-I-grow-up kind of dream,” said Mattinson. She was sworn into the position on Jan. 3, 2023, and has been busy ever since.

“I honestly figured it was never going to happen, that it was one of those wild dreams,” Mattinson said. She now gets to handle all sorts of animal calls. She’s dealt with stray animal calls and even a cruelty investigation that ended up on the positive side. Just last week, she spent some time with some goats when they got out of their farm.

Mattinson is originally from Coalville and moved to Morgan in the summer of 2022 with her husband and five children. They have family friends who moved out of the area, which gave them the opportunity to join the community.

“Morgan has a really great sense of community,” said Mattinson. “It’s nice to get back to this close knit sense where everyone is willing to help each other out.” Mattinson looks forward to being an asset to this community and is striving to help others feel comfortable reaching out to her for help.

“One of my best qualities is resourcefulness,” she said. “If the answer [for something] isn’t immediately available, I’m ready to work with the community to find that answer and all of the solutions available.”

Mattinson has always been an animal lover. She understands how fantastic horses are and how they can be therapeutic animals. “Dogs make the best companions as they go with you everywhere,” she said. Mattinson also stated that cats are a great companion animal for people as well. 

When she was younger, Mattinson worked in Salt Lake County at several shelters doing outreach and taking care of pets. One of the situations she recalls the most is being able to help find a home for a dog that needed special attention. “It was great to find the perfect home for that dog,” she said. “It’s always nice to find the right person with the right environment for a pet in need.”

On top of taking all of the ACO calls like injured wildlife, Mattinson also deals with questions pertaining to the department. She stated that she had received a few calls on how to run the department and how she enjoys working with the community. “The thing is, I really want to be an asset to the community,” said Mattinson. She understands that “any animal can be a good animal with the correct training and environment.”

Mattinson’s new hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., but she looks forward to helping out wherever she can for emergencies.