Two weeks ago, I received a couple copies of an email about a couple of dogs at the Waterbury pound that were scheduled to be put to sleep. A team of animal rescuers managed to find a place for these dogs in Vermont and get them transported there. Meanwhile, another message went out about three dogs scheduled to be put to sleep in Hartford. At the last moment, all of them were saved as well.
Through this, I managed to get in touch with another group of animal rescuers in Connecticut.

One of them sent me the Department of Agriculture report, which I used for my post, Does Your Town Kill Dogs?. We got to talking, and just as the rescue of a dog from the Hartford Pound led to the creation of the Connecticut Underhound Railroad, this latest effort has brought people together into the Adopt CT First coalition. The goal of the group is to “Educate the public and increase awareness of the plight of homeless companion animals here in CT” and already we are seeing some great teamwork.

Some people expressed concern about Adopt CT First as discouraging out of state adoptions, and noted that the rescues that started both the CT Underhound Railroad and Adopt CT First involved taking dogs from Connecticut and finding them homes in other states. Yet Adopt CT First is not about exclusivity. Yes, there are many times that it makes sense to adopt a pet from another state, and even in some cases, from a breeder. Yet the goal of adopting pets from shelters as close to home as possible, whether or not the pets cross state lines, is one that all rescuers should be interested in.

IMG_2739, originally uploaded by Aldon.

A very large pet adoption event is taking place this weekend in at the Connecticut Expo Center in Hartford. What do we make of the Shelter Dog’s Rock Pet Expo? Some rescuers spoke of unfavorable interactions that they had had with Fred Acker, the show’s organizer in the past. Indeed, a background check of Mr. Acker does raise a few eyebrows. Some have expressed concern about the number of dogs being brought into the state while so many dogs continue to get put to sleep in our own municipal shelters, and some have expressed concern about the finances. This is a very large financial undertaking. Is it right to charge admission to an adoption event? Is the rate that he is charging vendors for booths fair? Another concern has been about the welfare of the dogs. It is stressful to be shipped nearly a thousand miles from a shelter in Georgia or South Carolina up to Hartford. How well are these dogs being treated?

Instead of relying on second or third hand emails, I did a bit of research. I checked court records about Fred Acker. I contacted his publicist. I spoke with Mr. Acker, himself, and I visited the Expo Center as they were setting up where I had plenty of time to speak with Mr. Acker and others.

I will leave issues of Mr. Acker’s background to others. All of us have issues in our backgrounds and we all need to decide how much the background of others affects our interactions. In my case, my interactions with Mr. Acker were all positive.

One of the things that Mr. Acker maintains is that the dogs he brings up from the south are typically young puppies and breeds that are not readily available here in Connecticut. Dogs like the ones he brings in from the south are highly adoptable and find homes very quickly. Indeed, there were some wonderful looking dogs at the Expo center. (For pictures, see my Flickr Page.)

As a general rule, they all seemed to be excited young puppies full of energy. There were a few dogs that seemed dejected, less energetic or sad. Yet I was also told that vets from two of the municipal shelters in the south accompanied the dogs and are assumedly making sure the dogs are treated properly.

Another concern is what sort of homes these dogs will find. While they may be highly adoptable, it would be horrible if they are kept as a pet for a few months until the owners get bored or some other life change causes the owners to give up the pet. Mr. Acker has requested people fill out an online application that he uses to pre-screen for people that might not be good pet owners. People that don’t fill out applications are interviewed at the pet show. In going through the online applications, Mr. Acker pointed out various people he was rejecting. He also pointed out a picture of Jay Baldwin, who has apparently recently been released from prison for animal abuse charges. Rescuers regularly have lists and sometimes pictures of people to whom you should not adopt animals, and Mr. Baldwin frequently shows up on that list.

How many dogs can the state handle? Mr. Acker notes that people attending the show come from all over the northeast, and not just from Connecticut. He believes that “it’s an unlimited market”. Others remain skeptical and suggestions have been made for ways to come up with a better sense of what the market will bear without making problems in local shelters worse.

As a financial undertaking, it is large. Not only is there a lot of money to be taken in from attendees, adoptions, renting booths, and so on, but there are a lot of expenses involved with renting the convention center, transporting the pets, and making sure they have proper medical care. In addition, Mr. Acker is hoping to use proceeds from the event to renovate an old building in Waterbury to be a large new pet shelter.

As a final note, Mr. Acker has said that he will keep any animals not adopted at the Expo at his shelter for later adoption.

Yet this not the only adoption event taking place in Connecticut in the next few days. On Sunday, from 12 to 2, the Friends of the New Haven Animal Shelter will hold an adoption event at the Petco at 2100 Dixwell Avenue in Hamden. Highlighted dogs include a dalmatian/terrier mix, a boxer, and a greyhound/terrier mix. It sounds like the set up to a joke, “So a Dalmatian, a Boxer, and a Greyhound walk into a shelter…” Hopefully, it will have a happy punch line.

The other big upcoming adoption event is the Second Annual Durham Pet Fair organized by Help Willy’s Friends. The pet fair will take place May 16th at the Coginchaug Regional High School, 135 Pickett Lane, Durham, CT.

Day in and day out, people across Connecticut are working together to rescue pets from shelters. Some find homes for dogs facing euthanasia in Connecticut municipal shelters. Others bring in dogs from shelters in the south with high kill rates. Still others organize adoption events and pet fairs around the state.

Please, if you are looking for a new pet, check Connecticut municipal shelters first. If you can’t find the right pet for your family there, check adoption events with dogs from out of state shelters. Most importantly, make sure your pet is properly cared for, including that they are spayed or neutered and not adding to the problem of overcrowded shelters across our country.