By Kendra Bobowick

An electrical problem left the Newtown Dog Pound without running water on Friday, May 9, and animal control staff quickly moved some of the newer dogs to Mt Pleasant Hospital for Animals for proper care, where they remained earlier this week.

“We just carted four dogs to Mt Pleasant, thank God they’re helping,” Animal Control Officer Carolee Mason said late Friday afternoon. She noticed the problem in the morning, when she made calls for help. Town Highway Department crews, “which were very good to us,” and local plumbers responded and found that the problem stemmed from insufficient voltage coming into the building, said plumber Tim Conlan. Appliances requiring more than 115 volts would not run, he said.

Mr Conlan turned the problem over to Connecticut Light & Power.

“I feel bad, I was hoping to go turn [water] on for them this afternoon,” he said Friday. By Monday the pound had temporary water when the facility borrowed electricity from the Newtown Transfer Station. Again, the town’s highway department was helpful and provided a truck and water tank to the pound.

“It’s inconvenient,” Ms Mason said last week, noting five dogs would be boarding at Mt Pleasant as of Friday afternoon. The dogs that have been at the pound for a longer length of time, who are familiar with the staff and routines at the pound, stayed behind, along with cats.

If she had more outdoor kennels, Ms Mason would not have needed to relocate the dogs, but indoor kennels require a lot of “hot, hot” water, she explained.

“We use it to sanitize the [indoor] cages,” she said. The supply also provides drinking water.

What happened? “The building is old,” Ms Mason said. Crews will need to make repairs as soon as they can. She hopes to have all the pets back in their kennels by the end of next week, or sooner.

Although she did not want to impose, Ms Mason did appeal for the hospital’s help.

“The doctors are wonderful there,” she said.