CONNECTICUT -- Animal Control Officer April Leiler was called out on Monday afternoon for a report of two roaming dogs. By Tuesday night she had six dogs, all matted and dirty in her care. Leiler said she is looking for those responsible for abandoning the animals.
Leiler said she was called about 1:30 p.m. on Monday for a report of two dogs roaming on Abraham Road. She went out there and saw a tan dog and a black and white dog running together, but neither dog would let her get close to them, Leiler said. Leiler went to her truck and grabbed two traps, but when she came back she didn’t see the dogs anywhere, she said. A resident saw Leiler with the traps and said there were four dogs on his porch, and Leiler saw now three tan dogs and the black and white dog. Leiler was able to catch two of the tan dogs, but the others took off, she said.
Leiler left the traps set up in the neighborhood and asked the residents to call her if the dogs entered the traps. She said around 9 p.m. Monday a resident called and said one of the dogs was in a trap. Leiler went back out to the neighborhood so the dog wouldn’t have to stay in a trap all night and brought it to the shelter. With the help of a woman from Doggone Recovery, and more reports from residents Leiler had six dogs in total by Tuesday night. All the dogs were tan or black and white. The tan ones appeared to be Lhasa Apso/Poodle mixes and the black and white appeared to be Lhasa Apso mixes, all between one and four years old, Leiler said.
All of the dogs were extremely dirty and matted, Leiler noted. She brought them to a local groomer to get cleaned up and have mesh wire removed from their coats. The dogs consist of one neutered male, four intact males and one female that is not spayed, Leiler said. They are all very skiddish and not used to being walked on a leash. They are thin and Leiler said she thinks they may have been kept together in an outside fenced in area, since they are not housebroken.
After posting about the dogs on the Animal Control Facebook page, Leiler said she has had requests for the dogs start coming in, but she has to place an ad asking for the owner and wait seven days before she can adopt them out. Leiler said the dogs will require training and someone who is willing to take them out every couple hours while housebreaking them. One of the dogs was found by a resident on Mountaincrest Drive, and he has asked to adopt the dog. Leiler said she generally allows dogs found by residents to be adopted to them if they are interested.
“It’s not going to be easy,” Leiler said on Wednesday. “They are going to need to be crated and taken out every two hours.”
Leiler said she believes there was some neglect and abuse of the dogs and depending on what information she can find out, there may be criminal charges.
(Meriden Record-Journal - May 4, 2017)
