Limestone County Animal Control Deputy Mike Clem recently won Animal-Control Officer of the Year at the Alabama Animal-Control Association Conference in Mobile.

Clem said the award was both an honor and a surprise, especially since he didn’t know he was nominated.

Clem’s supervisor, Deputy Gil Moore, nominated him for the statewide title because of his work ethic and good attitude, Moore said.

“(Clem) does his job well and is always there when I need him,” he said. “He’s not a certified officer, so I take care of all the warrants, but he’ll go out and do reports. He’s good help and that’s hard to find now days.”

Part of Clem’s job is to advocate for animals by doing welfare checks and reporting instances when there may be animal abuse. Clem also uses his position to help owners, Moore said.

Moore recalled when Clem went out of his way to help a man bury his dog.

“The owner was a cancer patient who didn’t have the energy to get out there and dig a hole,” Moore said. “(Clem) stayed out there and dug the hole for the dog to be buried.”

While Clem may enjoy helping animals, sometimes the animals don’t enjoy him, Moore said.

“He’s prone to getting bit — he’s usually the one to get bit,” Moore said, adding Clem still enjoys his job despite the bites.

First award

This is Clem’s first award since he began with animal control six years ago.

“I just come out every day and do my job to the best of my ability and try to serve and protect Limestone County,” Clem said.

He said law enforcement is in his blood. His father, George Clem, was chief investigator for Athens Police Department for more than 30 years.

“I wanted to follow in my dad’s footsteps since I knew what law enforcement was,” he said. “I worked reserve with the city for several years, and then got a permanent job with the county.”

Clem stayed with the Sheriff’s Department as a correctional officer for 10 years before he decided he wanted to be more involved in the community and went into animal control.

“I wanted to help people outside the jail,” he said.

Caring for animals doesn’t stop when Clem clocks out. When he gets home, he takes care of his five dogs, one horse and five goats.

Moore said he was glad to see Clem bring home the animal-control officer award because it reflects well on the Sheriff’s Department and the county.

“It makes him look good, and makes me look good, and makes the Sheriff’s Office look good for someone in our country to win it,” he said.