By Anna Michael
Enquirer contributor

Harold Dates has tracked an escaped cow across an urban Cincinnati park for 11 days in a case that made national news.

He has confiscated seven lions and tigers, and a 6-month-old bear cub over the course of his 28-year career as an animal welfare officer in Hamilton County, one of Ohio's most urban counties.

But it's the plethora of mundane cases involving domestic animals that touch his heart - and which have pushed Dates, general manager of Cincinnati's Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, to a prominent role in Ohio animal welfare policy and to an ambitious expansion plan for local facilities.

"A pet is a lifelong commitment," but many pet owners instead see animals as expendable, Dates says. The SPCA, he adds, is "a small force with a big job."

The Cincinnati SPCA, which is open for emergency service 24/7, takes in about 17,500 animals yearly, or about 50 animals daily. Most are cats and dogs that are strays, sick or the victim of an owner's lifestyle change.

Currently, the Cincinnati SPCA places about 40 percent of the healthy, adoptable animals that are brought to the shelter.

Dates hopes this number is up to 100 percent by 2007, with the addition of another shelter and the expansion of the Northside facility on Colerain Avenue.

An additional 60,000 square feet of clinic, kennel and educational space is needed to better serve the 55 municipalities under the city SPCA's jurisdiction, he adds.

To that end, the Cincinnati SPCA acquired 12,000 square feet of space on Winton Road about two months ago. An additional 8,000 square feet at the Compton location, which backs up to the new Winton Road property, have been leased.

And, "We are looking at eastern Hamilton County to build a 30,000-square-foot facility," Dates says.

"He's very-high energy and he has an awfully big heart when it comes to the animals," says Paully Brengel, administrative assistant at the SPCA. "If you are ever in trouble, he would be the best friend to have."

Dates' love of animals goes back to when he was 11 years old and began working on his grandfather's farm in northern New York. At the University of Cincinnati, he majored in sociology and minored in psychology.

He says his college studies help him understand people, which in turn help him understand why animals display certain behaviors.

He joined the Cincinnati SPCA in 1975, with the eventual goal of running a non-profit organization. He took the reins in 1986.

Among the programs Dates has developed that demonstrate his passion for animals and for the SPCA is Safe Homes, Safe Pets. The 8-year-old program assists people who have been threatened or abused, but who are reluctant to leave home because of their pets.

The SPCA keeps the abused person's animal for no charge, and arranges for pet owners and their families to visit them until permanent residence is found.

He also developed Senior Expo, which is sponsored by Purina. Anyone older than 60 can adopt a pet at no charge if certain qualifications are met. Seniors also can become foster pet owners.

On a statewide level, Dates is president of the Ohio Federated Humane Society, and involved in the Ohio Peace Officers Training Committee and Ohio Veterinarians Association. The humane society was instrumental in passing new animal-related legislation that makes the second offense of overt animal cruelty a felony.

Dates doesn't shy away from the toughest jobs in animal welfare.

Among them: Euthanasia and taking pets from people who should not have them.

"Our interest is the welfare of the animal. You have to tell people how it is," Dates says. "Sometimes we have to do things that people don't like."