Kids, Animals, And Acres Of Heart

By Steve Bigham

Even as a child, Priscilla Caposella had a big heart. She would often bring home stray cats and dogs on her way home from school in Pelham, New York. Everybody needs a home, she would say.

But her mother wasn’t always so thrilled with the idea. After all, it was mom’s house and she didn’t necessarily need a menagerie of pets. As Mrs Caposella recalls, “My mother used to tell me I could have as many animals as I wanted when I had my own home.”

And that’s just what she did. As proprietor of the Newtown Animal Shelter (run out of her home), Priscilla Caposella has dedicated her life to sheltering “unwanted” cats and dogs. The 35-year Newtown resident opened the “Animal Acres” kennel in 1972. Since then, hundreds of homeless animals have slept beneath her roof, eaten her food, and sensed her love.

But animals aren’t the only ones who have benefited from her big heart. Over the years, Mrs Caposella’s family has opened their arms to 89 children who needed a foster home.

“I love children and I love animals. I love people. I don’t like what people do to children and animals sometimes, but I do love people,” she said.

For many years, Mrs Caposella’s husband, Fred, was a truck driver and spent a good part of the week on the road. “I didn’t like being alone,” she said, explaining how she got involved with foster parenting.

Today, Mrs Caposella no longer takes in foster children, but she does run a daycare service out of her home, continuing her lifelong tradition of care. Friend Donna Gorton says they simply don’t make them like Priscilla Caposella anymore.

“She’s caring and she’s passionate about what she does,” Mrs Gorton said. “She loves children and animals to the fullest no matter what shape or form they’re in.”

After so many years of taking in animals, Mrs Caposella has earned a reputation for her kindness and there have been many that have taken advantage of her generosity. Many unwanted pets have been left in her driveway.

“Someone left a box full of puppies in my car and somebody else left some cats in a feedbag,” she recalled.

Fortunately, no one has ever left a baby anonymously at her home, but Mrs Caposella has worked closely with the state’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) over the years, giving temporary shelter to infants all the way up to teenagers. Serving as a foster parent, Mrs Caposella eventually had to say goodbye to the children. There was one little boy, however, that she refused to let go, and he remains a part of her family to this day. His name is Alan and because of his mental retardation, the state at one time wanted to institutionalize him. In response, Mrs Caposella and her husband adopted the young boy. Alan, now 32, and his mother have been inseparable ever since.

The Caposellas also have two other sons, Fred, 38, and Brett, 36.

Recently, “Animal Acres” opened its arms to four Persian cats and a golden retriever, who came from a broken home in Waterbury. According to reports, the family was unable to care for its 13 cats and four dogs after the mother/wife disappeared. To this day, there is no word on what happened to the woman. She remains on the police department’s missing persons list.

Newtown Animal Welfare is an organization consisting of volunteers who help residents deal with pet-related problems, including adoptions, lost and found animals, abuse, education, and spaying and neutering assistance. However, the program is no longer funded the way it used to be and Mrs Caposella often pays for food and veterinarian care out of her own pocket.

 For more information on adopting a cat or dog from Newtown Animal Welfare, call Priscilla Caposella at 426-5177.