When 31 dogs lived in the facility for two years, some say their condition deteriorated due to improper sanitation, food storage, ventilation and overcrowding.
CHESHIRE, Conn. — A group of Cheshire officials issued a joint statement on Friday acknowledging the community’s concerns regarding the alleged mistreatment of several dozen dogs at the town’s Animal Control Facility.
“We deeply appreciate the community’s dedication to animal welfare and share the collective goal of ensuring the highest standards of care for animals in our custody,” the officials said.
The statement was issued by the Cheshire Town Council, Town Manager Sean Kimball and Police Chief Neil Dryfe. It acknowledged the dogs were housed at the Animal Control Facility from October 2022 until November 2024.
Some residents and animal rights advocates say the dogs’ condition deteriorated during their stay due to improper sanitation, food storage, ventilation and overcrowding.
The original seizure of 28 dogs in October 2022 stemmed from a serious case of animal abuse. Two of the dogs were pregnant when seized and gave birth to three puppies, bringing the total number of dogs in the town’s custody to 31.
According to the officials, in November 2022, the town launched a lawsuit in Connecticut Superior Court against the alleged owner of the dogs. Cheshire asked the Superior Court to give ownership of the dogs to State Animal Control or the town so that they could be quickly put up for adoption.
That December, the court appointed an attorney advocate for the dogs, but the defendant contested the town’s lawsuit and filed a counterclaim. The defendant reportedly filed for bankruptcy while the lawsuit was being disputed, further delaying the lawsuit and resolution of the matter.
In September 2024, the Superior Court litigation was settled. Then, last October, the Bankruptcy Court approved the settlement, and the town began the placement and adoption process for the dogs.
“Unfortunately, the legal proceedings in Superior Court only concluded last week, which limited our ability to share many details about these matters sooner,” the officials said Friday.
While the dogs were housed at the town’s Animal Control Facility, two of them became seriously ill. The town says the dogs were evaluated when they began showing symptoms and that they were treated by veterinarians.
“Despite receiving appropriate care over multiple weeks, their conditions did not improve, and humane euthanasia was deemed the most compassionate course of action,” the statement said. “This challenging experience revealed a number of areas in our processes, procedures and the maintenance of our facility that required immediate improvement.”
The officials report that the necessary areas of improvement were identified by the consent order entered between the Department of Agriculture and the Town of Cheshire. These include in-depth intake forms, daily operational checklists and cleaning logs, weekly wellness assessments, flooring replacements and new enclosure fencing.
“The town is fully committed to addressing these issues and has already implemented significant changes to enhance operations and ensure the well-being of animals in our care,” the officials said.
Cheshire promises to regularly publish monthly reports online that will outline the actions taken to date and upgrades on plans that are actively underway. The monthly reports will be posted here. The updates will continue as the town provides regular monthly progress reports to DoAg.
Near the end of their statement, the officials acknowledge that serious allegations have been made against the staff of the town’s Animal Control Facility.
“The town takes such allegations very seriously,” the officials said. “Allegations against town employees constitute personnel matters, and it would be inappropriate for the town to comment on any personnel review or investigation in a public setting.”
The statement concludes by thanking the community for its patience, compassion and commitment to animal welfare and pledges to improve operations and ensure the best possible care for all the animals that Cheshire Animal Control is responsible for.
Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
Do you have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com.
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
