Stonington Police: Shelter Dogs, Cats Will Not Be Killed

A post on the Facebook page of the non-profit CT Animal House alleges two dogs and some cats currently housed at the Stonington Animal Shelter may be killed in the next few weeks because of a lack of staff to care for them. And the social media posting also alleged Stonington Police ordered a cat be euthanized because it had lice.

But Stonington Police Capt. Jerry Desmond said the allegations are “absolutely false.”

The Stonington Police Department is in charge of the animal control officer and shelter. A Patch attempt to reach Stonington Animal Control Officer Rae Jean Davis was unsuccessful.

The CT-Animal House post reads: 

“Please Share! It has come to our attention that the animals at Stonington Animal Control are in danger of being euthanized due to the lack of ACO coverage in the next several weeks. Without the presence of an acting ACO, the two dogs and one cat at the facility will likely be deemed un-adoptable and euthanized. Residents need to let their Police Department know that this is un-acceptable and that another ACO needs to be hired ASAP! to assist when the primary officer is on vacation or medical leave.In the recent past when there was no ACO coverage, the Stonington Police Department ordered that a kitten with a lice infestation was to be euthanized, rather than given medicated baths that wouldeasily resolve the condition. The Vet refused and kept the kitten as an office cat. REALLY???”

As of Wednesday afternoon, the post had been ‘Liked,’ commented on and shared by more than a dozen individuals.

Desmond said there is no plan to euthanize any animal at the shelter. He said euthanization only occurs “when an animal is very, very sick or when it’s been there for a very, very long time.” He said he could not recall the last time an animal was euthanized. “It’s been a long time.”

“We go well beyond the time frame. Way beyond. We’ll do everything we can before (euthanizing an animal). And certainly euthanizing has nothing at all to do with someone being out,” he said. He recalled a case where a dog was hyperactive and he said he personally reached out to the officers at the Westerly Animal Shelter for help getting a handle on the dog’s temperament, “calm him down so he could be adopted.”

“The dog wasn’t getting adopted. We did not want to see it (euthanized) so I called Westerly for help,” he said. The dog was retrained and eventually adopted. “That’s what we do.”

Desmond said the policy is “when the ACO is out, a per diem staffer or custodian checks on the animals.”

“I certainly don’t understand where this information is coming from. It’s certainly a concern and I will be looking into it,” Desmond said of the information posted that alleges animals are in danger. “No animals will be euthanized.”

And as to the kitten, Desmond said, “It didn’t happen like that.” He said that the kitten was infested but was adopted by the vet. He said police did not order it be killed.

A message sent to CT-Animal House for further comment was not responded to by the time this article was posted. If we do receive any additional comment or information, we will update the story.

According to Petfinder, there are currently two dogs and two cats awaiting adoption.