Three dogs are up for adoption in Burlington as the town’s dog pound is at full capacity.
“Our numbers have probably doubled in the last two years. I wouldn’t say that we’ve ever been full to capacity like we are right now,” said animal control officer Katherine Meskun.
A three-year-old shepherd mix named Indy was found abandoned in the parking lot.
“He’s a very sweet dog,” said Meskun. “He has no temperament issues at all, and he knows how to sit, stay, lay down, give paw everything.”
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A six-month-old female husky and a male pit bull nearing the end of its life are also looking for new homes.
“Most of the dogs that we’ve been taking now, they are unfortunately dumped. There’s no calls, no microchip, no license tags or anything.”
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But she says this problem is not unique to Burlington, which serves Canton and Farmington as well.
“This is an all over the state of Connecticut problem right now,” she said. “All these towns, even our small towns, are now starting to feel the effects of the uptick in dogs that are just dumped around and left to fend for themselves.”
She believes the issue was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s been significantly getting to be more and more of a problem,” said Meskun. “A lot of dogs were purchased during that time, so we’re getting a lot of these three-to-five-year-old dogs who are just unfortunately not wanted anymore.”
But for people looking to abandon their unwanted dogs, there are alternatives.
“When we’re not full randomly like this, we do offer owner surrender,” she said. “It never hurts to call and ask. We always prefer that you call us. We don’t want you to just leave your animal out in the middle of nowhere to fend for itself.”
Anyone looking to adopt a dog should contact the shelter at 860-960-6600.
