Pound Pets Waiting For (The Right) Adoption

By Kendra Bobowick

Sitting and quivering on a folded blanked with her eyes wide and her body cringing at outbursts of barking was little Molly, a cockapoo purebred mix between a cocker spaniel and poodle.

“She is such a sweet dog…They’re all sweet to us once they’re in the pound and adjusted,” said Newtown Animal Control Officer Carolee Mason. Molly, 3, is new to the pound, along with several others. Ms Mason explained some of their origins. “I have some cruelty cases and I have taken dogs that haven’t been taken care of,” she said.

The facility’s pooch population has increased recently, and with 10 of the 12 units occupied and one animal boarding at Mt Pleasant Animal Hospital, Ms Mason and Kennel Assistant Amy Andras have a busy schedule.

“I am turning down a lot, I don’t have the space, it’s unfortunate,” Ms Mason said. She is often alerted to an animal’s situation through a pet owner’s neighbors, for example, who may claim something is wrong. In other instances people will call and want to give up their dog because they can’t care for it. Standing in the kennel and checking in with all the dogs, Ms Mason looks forward to residents considering adoption, but also wants the dogs to go to the right homes. Adoptive “parents” need to be patient and understanding, Ms Mason explained.

She and Ms Andras hope that any new adoptions are made with the understanding that the pets will need time to adjust.

“You have to realize that when you adopt, it’s a commitment,” said Ms Mason. “Dogs leaving behind a kennel situation naturally need an adjustment period,” she explained.

Each dog also has a story. Ms Mason had learned that Molly yielded several litters for her owners, but will now receive care, attention, and hopefully an adoptive home. Frightening the small dog were loud rumbles of barking coming from Midnight, a black lab who has made herself at home at the pound in past months. From Molly’s other side came a clanging from the end of her row of kennel cages as Black Jack, a border collie, and Heidi, an Akita mix, both jumped to their hind legs and pawed at the fence. Heidi and Black Jack were acquired from one home where they had been abandoned and had not been fed. “We had to go in and get them,” Ms Mason said. Because the pair had come to the pound together, Ms Mason hoped they could remain companions in adoption. The pair shares a kennel block.

Kenneled next to Midnight were Cowboy, a brindle pit /Dachshund mix, and Lenny, a black lab and Katrina rescue. Other dogs’ descriptions are on the canineadvocates.org website, displayed by the Canine Advocates of Newtown, an organization that supports the dog pound. Ms Mason said she hopes to see some of the dogs in new homes by the end of this year’s holiday season. “I would love to see them running around and adopted,” she said.

Contact the Newtown Dog Pound at 426-6900 for information about any of the dogs there.