No Peace At The Pound

Dogs are our link to paradise, according to the writer Milan Kundera. “They don’t know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring — it was peace.”

Unfortunately, here in Newtown, we don’t always return the favor to our canine friends. There is a group of dogs doing nothing hour after hour, day after day at the Newtown Dog Pound, which from a dog’s point of view is far removed from paradise. It is cramped, unsanitary, and stuffy. Located close behind the town’s garbage transfer station and hard by the train tracks, it seems perfectly situated to assault the keen senses of its tenants. It stinks, and the truck and train traffic keeps many of the dogs there in a constant state of fear and agitation. Most people who line up in their cars at the dump don’t even know the dogs are there, and those few who do must fight the traffic, debris, and confusion to get to the facility. There certainly is no peace at the pound.

Fortunately, there is a local group that is working to change that. Canine Advocates of Newtown has a dedicated corps of volunteers who supplement the basic care provided by the town’s animal control officer and staff by playing with and walking the dogs. Given the location of the pound, however, the playtime and walks are still hazardous to both the dogs and humans.

The town has a lot of plans to improve municipal facilities for its human population, and when money is tight there is not much left over for dogs. The construction of a new facility for stray and lost dogs (and occasionally cats) is not a priority in the town’s capital improvement plan. Consequently, Canine Advocates of Newtown has decided to launch a fundraising campaign aimed at moving the pound to another location, away from the dump. With the town’s help, land in the process of being conveyed from the state to Newtown near Nunnawauk Road and Wasserman Way may be available for a new facility. The volunteers hope to raise $500,000 to cover construction costs.

Canine Advocates of Newtown has started the campaign with many small contributions from individuals, especially young people who have a special connection to animals. High school students recently raised and contributed $2,000 for the cause. So far $15,000 has been collected — a modest start. The Canine Advocates are now challenging local businesses to up the ante. One businessman and dog lover, Matt DeAngelis of Yankee Discount Wines & Liquors, has responded with a generous $5,000 donation. We hope these initial contributions will inspire more, big and small, until the goal of a new dog pound is realized.

Many people, native and newcomer alike, have told us, that Newtown is the perfect place to live. We agree — almost. When we relegate lost and vulnerable animals to the forgotten precincts of a dump, paradise still eludes us. We will never get there without our dogs.