Three months after Dyer and St. John parted ways from their joint animal control efforts, the towns are reporting successes on their own.

They divided equipment between the towns and parted ways.

Now, Rick Conaway, who has worked for St. John police nearly 30 years, is the full-time animal control officer for St. John.

In Dyer, two part-time animal control officers divide the workload, said Dyer Assistant Police Chief Craig Schulte.

And although both towns are reporting a positive start to their new arrangements, the responsibilities are different.

Dyer has an arrangement with the Humane Society of the Calumet Area in Munster. Once it is determined an animal will not be claimed, the town transfers it to the Humane Society, Schulte said.

St. John has no such arrangement, but Conaway has worked to adopt out animals, such as Laverne and Shirley, two dogs abandoned near St. John's salt barn earlier this year.

A Lowell woman adopted Shirley a few weeks ago, but Laverne, a 25-pound Staffordshire bull terrier, still calls the animal control facility home.