another good animal pound story!

Regional pound provides time for dogs to find new homes
By John Dignam TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF jdignam@telegram.com
KILLINGLY— The fact that Baron, Tonto, Little Chuck and other dogs were staying in the building next to the Northeastern Connecticut Council of Governments’ headquarters on Route 12 last week is testament to the success of the regional dog pound experiment. “It works,” said NECCOG Executive Director John J. Filchak. “And it would work better if more towns got involved. That would drive the cost down.” In August 2004, NECCOG opened a regional dog pound to allow member towns to provide better animal control services at lower cost.
Last week, Baron, a bull mastiff; Tonto, an Alaskan malamute mix, and Little Chuck, a purebred pug, were among eight dogs at the kennel, at least one of which was heading for a new home. From February 2005 to this January, the program received 2,857 calls, 103 animals were returned to owners, 152 were sold, six were dead when picked up and 23 were euthanized, Mr. Filchak said in an interview last week. He said dogs were euthanized because of illness, injuries or viciousness, but that none has been euthanized for lack of space. Four of the council’s 11 member towns — Killingly, Brooklyn, Pomfret and Sterling — joined the cooperative dog pound when it opened. Animal Control Officer Diane Gaudreau, who has a part-time assistant, said the program works in large part because of the dedication of a dozen active volunteers and Wal-Mart’s donation of food for the animals. An answering service responds during off hours, contacting the animal control officer for calls that require immediate assistance and taking messages for more routine calls. “Neither the public nor the dogs wait,” he said.........