It’s likely you have never met a celebrity animal control officer … unless you know Oxford County’s Brandon Holmes.

Less than two years after switching careers from computer technology to recovering lost and found pets, Holmes has become a rock star in Buckfield, Hartford, Stoneham, Sumner and West Paris, which pay for his services. He also serves the unorganized territories in Oxford County, which pays him for work in those areas.

The Buckfield resident is unique from most other rural ACOs because he is full time. Many, if not most, have other jobs and do animal control as a side gig, and are generally invisible until they are needed.

Holmes engages with his communities, having amassed close to 3,000 Facebook followers. He uses his presence there to post lost and found pets, share tips for animal care and safety, and celebrate reunited critters with their people. 

He even posts his schedule to make sure people know where to turn if he is assisting ACOs from other towns, is at a training session or taking a rare day off.

“I’m available 24/7 so anytime my phone rings I go take care of it,” he told the Advertiser Democrat during a recent meeting in West Paris. “I try not to make too many plans, but I reach out to neighboring ACOs if I need help covering emergency calls.”

Holmes has also developed strong relationships with veterinarians. When an animal needs help during the day he relies on local offices wherever he can find availability. Nights and weekends, he will take injured or sick pets to the Animal Emergency Clinic of Mid-Maine in Lewiston, or even as far Portland Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Care if necessary.

The majority of the calls Holmes takes involve stray dogs; this time of year he gets one to two calls a day for help. 

Summer is cat season, especially in West Paris. The village has dealt with well-established cat colonies for years. Last year, Holmes set a goal to trap 10 cats a week to be neutered or, if possible, moved to a shelter for eventual adoption.

“The issue has been going on for years,” he said. “There have been different approaches, but what is effective is trap-neuter-release. If you just pull cats out it only creates opportunities for more to come in,” especially if there is appropriate shelter and a strong rodent population to provide food.

“Last summer I worked with Maine Humane Society and a rescue up in St. Albans (for neutering). It’s a trek,” he said.

Using grant funding Holmes trapped more than 60 that were neutered. He then brought them back and released them to their familiar surroundings. About two dozen others were taken in by shelters.

This year he will repeat the effort, but fortunately will have the surgery services provided at a location in Harrison through the Animal Welfare Society and Community Spay and Neuter Clinic.

It was the saga of Rose and Zeke, two dogs involved in a vehicle accident last spring, that raised Holmes’ reputation as an ACO who pulls out all the stops for animals in need.

“This was a new case for me,” he said. “I got a call, 1 in the morning, about four dogs that were missing. The owner had been taken to the hospital. So I drove to Rumford to pick up his ex who had lived with the dogs, to help. 

“The first thing you need to do when an animal goes through trauma like that is get the owner on scene,” Holmes added. “A dog isn’t going to let a guy like me walk up and put a leash on them.”

Holmes and the owner recovered two of the dogs that night. But it took 21 days before the third, Rose, was rescued. The fourth dog, Zeke, took to the woods, and although he was sighted with trail cams for weeks he was eventually hit by a car, miles away in Canton.

“I learned so much through all that,” Holmes said. “Maine Lost Dog Recovery had volunteers on it. Their coordinator Dorie Haas, she just knows how a dog will react.”

A New Hampshire-based search-and-rescue operation that uses a drone for tracking, 2A Tactical LLC, provided hours of search time by air. Miles to Freedom Rescue of Oxford provided equipment for Holmes to use.

Rose’s story was told by the Advertiser Democrat after she was found, taken to the vet, had one leg amputated and reunited with her person, Jason Conway of Oxford.

“You can’t go far when trying to trap a dog,” he said. “You don’t want them left in it for long. It’s too stressful a situation. Especially for a dog like Rose, who was injured.”

Holmes and volunteers spent many hours working on Rose’s rescue.

“Brandon is a great ACO,” West Paris Town Manager Joy Downing said about Holmes’ dedication to saving Rose, his efforts with the cat colonies and his service to the community. “I can’t say enough good things about him.”

Over the past 20 months, Holmes has worked to keep all animal rescue volunteers focused on their shared mission.

“For me, I’m going to do whatever it takes to get that pet home,” he said. “I’m going to give credit where credit is due. But more important than that, it’s about getting the pet home and reunited with their owner, and using all the resources we have available.

“I do see more happy endings than I thought I would,” he added. “Sometimes they take longer than I want, but sometimes they come in ways you don’t expect.”

Since Holmes serves many communities, the most effective way to reach him is by calling the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office at 207-743-9554 and selecting option 0.

“My phone rings so much it’s hard to keep up,” he said. “I might be in the middle of a sensitive call or emergency. But I always answer when dispatch calls.”

Holmes maintains a website, oxfordaco.com, where he shares pet tips and happy tales. He is also reachable through his Facebook page, ACO Holmes.