Winneshiek County Sheriff's Department will slightly change the way it handles lost dog calls

These lost dogs were found on HIghway 9 near Waukon

Newly-appointed Winneshiek County Sheriff Dan Marx is busy making several small changes in the operation of the Sheriff's Department, all aimed at one goal--keeping deputies on the road more of the time.

That means having other Sheriff's Department personnel handle tasks like fingerprinting prisoners.  It also means looking for ways technology can be used to lighten the workloads of deputies.

One such way is to rely more on the public to help find the owners of lost dogs.  Marx told county supervisors on Monday his department will be using Facebook postings for lost dogs--hoping the public will recognize the dogs and contact the Sheriff's Department.  Volunteers will also help return dogs to their owners.  Marx says the minor changes will decrease the number of times a deputy has to stop patrolling in order to pick up a lost dog.