This year, Newtown residents proved that whether an animal comes in the fluffy, wiry, or feathered variety, it is welcome in town.

Robin Olson, president of Kitten Associates in Sandy Hook, had quite a busy January despite her original plans to hold off taking in more cats until the springtime.

When she got an unexpected phone call about a feral kitten found on a construction site in town, she knew she had to help. The 6-week-old tuxedo kitten was in rough shape after being discovered in the hood of a diesel truck.

Ms Olson brought the kitten to the veterinarian, where she named him Pistachio — a play on his mustache-looking marking below his nose. After around-the-clock care, Ms Olsen helped him become a healthy, social kitten and later was able to rescue his sister, named Catshew.

Even though Pistachio’s previous conditions came from a life as a feral cat in the wintertime, for centuries, black cats have suffered at the hands of humans’ ill-conceived notions deeming them somehow unlucky or less desirable than their colorful counterparts.

In honor of National Black Cat Day on October 27, The Newtown Bee dived into the folklore surrounding black cats, dispelled the myths associated with them, and showcased more than half a dozen adoptable black cats at Danbury Animal Welfare (DAWS), some of which have gone on to find their forever homes.

Cats over at the Brian J. Silverlieb Animal Care and Control Center in Newtown got a special treat when seniors from Brookfield’s Visiting Angels participated in the Shelter Buddies Reading Program on August 9.

The Shelter Buddies Reading Program originally was created to help children practice their reading skills, but for seniors, doing so helps improve memory and reduces stress.

The seniors spent time socializing with both the cats and dogs at the shelter and read to them from a variety of books.

The Newtown Board of Realtors did their part to support the animals at the Newtown shelter with their annual fundraiser that began in February.

Realtors set up donation boxes at Your Healthy Pet as well as in Coldwell Banker, Berkshire Hathaway, William Raveis, and RE/MAX Real Estate offices in Newtown in preparation for Donation Day At The Pound on March 24.

In June, the Newtown Board of Realtors also had a special luncheon, hosted at Sal e Pepe, where they invited Jenny Hubbard to speak to the group about the Catherine Violet Hubbard Foundation’s (CVHF) plans to build a one-of-a-kind animal sanctuary in town.

Ms Hubbard, president of the CVHF and mother of Catherine Hubbard, who died at Sandy Hook Elementary School on 12/14, spent the afternoon before what would have been her daughter’s 12th birthday sharing the good news to realtors about the animal sanctuary being built in town to honor her daughter’s compassion for all creatures.

Board of Realtor members also learned about volunteer opportunities with the nonprofit, the free monthly programs the group offers called Sunday at the Sanctuary, and that they are welcome to bring their clients to visit the sanctuary grounds anytime from dawn to dusk.

Making A Difference

One couple well-acquainted with the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary and Foundation are Megan Gibbons and Stephen Miller. The newlyweds decided earlier this year to have the money intended for their wedding’s party favors go towards the Catherine Violet Hubbard Foundation.

Ms Gibbons grew up in Sandy Hook, where her family still resides, and attended the same elementary school as Catherine.

“The amazing educational programs, conservation efforts, and message of kindness that the Catherine Violet Hubbard Foundation was founded upon [are] very close to my heart,” Ms Gibbons explained.

Although the sanctuary not being built yet, the group continues to help local rescues and individuals in need save the lives of all kinds of animals.

Those familiar with the “This Little Piggy” nursery rhyme by Mother Goose may remember that some pigs go to market and some stay home, but for two not-so-little pigs rescued from being slaughtered, they got the ultimate opportunity: to live out the rest of their lives free from harm.

In September 2017, students from the University of Connecticut were given Yorkshire Cross pigs from Tufts University to raise and train for an upcoming agricultural show. Their fate would not be for breeding, but for meat consumption, most likely for bacon.

One compassionate student and her family, however, intercepted and purchased two female pigs named Little Beanie Tofu and Dolphin. They took them to their home in Newtown the following month and transformed an area of their backyard into an enclosure filled with hay, shelter, and toys to enjoy.

With their safety ensured, the family partnered with the Catherine Violet Hubbard Foundation to help the bonded pigs find a permanent home together with someone who would value them as the living creatures they are and not the meat they were bred for.

As of December 21, the pigs are expected to have a soon-to-be forever home with Lynn Printy and Oscar Janssen, currently of Newtown, who have JP Farm Animal Sanctuary. The pigs will join their family, that includes five special needs highland cattle rescues, when their new home is finished being built in Litchfield.

Superstar Pets

When Newtown residents love an animal, they will go to great lengths to see that it lives the longest and best life possible, which is exactly what Laura Becker did when she traveled halfway across the world to save her dog’s life. And she would do it again in a heartbeat.

The heart, ironically, is exactly what brought her and her 9-year-old Yorkshire terrier, Oliver, to Japan when he was diagnosed with mitral valve disease.

Ms Becker could not sit idly by and watch her beloved companion reach the final phase of the degenerative disease knowing there was another possible option that could save him.

Through her research, she found there was one veterinarian in the world that could perform the live-saving mitral valve repair surgery: Dr Masami Uechi of the Jasmine Clinic in Yokohama, Japan.

So, this year, she did the necessary (and expensive) steps to quarantine Oliver, fly 14 hours to Japan, have Oliver undergo the six-hour surgery, then bring him back to Newtown to heal.

His health is still being chronicled on social media, [naviga:u]facebook.com/mendhisyorkieheart[/naviga:u], and on December 12, Ms Becker posted that Oliver is “doing great.”

Oliver was not the only animal celebrity in town this year, as two dozen ducks and one very talkative goose began to turn heads for their daily waddles around a family’s Berkshire Road residence.

Marnie Uliasz and her husband, Mark Hill, moved to Sandy Hook three years ago when they purchased the former Bon-Air Poultry Farm property that had operated in town more than 100 years ago. Little did they know, within a year’s time, they would be starting their own farm of sorts and have more duck eggs than they could have ever dreamed.

The two, along with son Jett and daughter Darla, unintentionally embarked on their first adventure into farm life during a trip to Tractor Supply in New Milford, where they left the store with six small ducklings.

“We didn’t plan on this, that’s for sure,” Ms Uliasz said between chuckles. “We fell in love with them. They have a lot of personality.”

No matter what kind of animal — cats, dogs, pigs, or waterfowl — all got their chance to have their story told in 2018.