Pound Is A Lost And Found For Homeless Dogs

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THe Newtown Bee

By Kendra Bobowick

Puppy love is suffering from heat, summer storms, and a heavy dose of misconception.

Animal Control Officer Carolee Mason said, "I think people get young dogs and it's for their kids." Adding the necessity to care for a growing puppy to caring for children and managing a career can compound already hectic lives, she suggested.

"People don't have time and eventually dogs don't fit into the family," she said.

Many of those dogs end up at the pound and under Ms Mason's care. She and her assistant, Kennel Attendant Amy Andras, care for the dogs displaced from their homes, or who are homeless.

"People don't give them a chance," Ms Mason said. "After a while it gets easier."

This summer has seen a surge in dogs that have ended up in the pound for a variety of reasons. Recent storms have found confused animals outside the bounds of their electric fence and wandering, for one.

Dogs that come in during a storm are older, Ms Mason said, and are just lost and eventually are reunited with their owners who are looking for them.

Unfortunately, other dogs - especially the younger dogs - also land at the pound under different circumstances.

"These dogs are from people who buy puppies and then don't want to spend the time with them. Everyone wants a puppy to grow up with their child, but that's like raising another child," Ms Mason said. Eventually, she explained that the families find the dog is too much to handle.

Now at the pound are an abundance of pedigree pets, all "wonderful" dogs, she said. German shepherds, labs, a beagle, and others are all in the pens and waiting for adoption. The current dog pound is also a cramped facility located behind the dump, which Ms Mason and Canine Advocates of Newtown (CAN) hope to change.

Ms Mason also suggests that owners tag and license dogs, making procedures easier for her and for them in getting the dog back home.

"Please license your dogs and put the ID on their collars," she said. "If someone finds them they won't know where to bring them so the dog comes here."

Without ID she would assume it was a stray she said, and unless the owner calls, she would not know where the dog belongs.

As residents have entered into the vacation season, and many homeowners leave their pets in a neighbor's or relative's cared for a week or more, problems can arise. Ms Mason suggested that the pets left at home have good identification on them, and that they feel secure.

"After time the dog realizes people are away and when strangers come over to care for them the dogs try to get out and find [the owners]," she said.