Windham renews contract with Animal Refuge League

The Windham Town Council has
renewed its annual contract with
the Animal Refuge League of 
Greater Portland to provide
shelter services for stray and
lost pets found in the town. 
Windham has contracted with 
ARL since 1990 and the new
Contract runs through the end
of June 2023.
COURTESY PHOTO  

By Ed Pierce

The Windham Town Council has unanimously approved the renewal of a contract for services with the Animal Refuge League for strays and surrendered pets.

During a meeting of council members on Feb. 8, councilors voted to renew the contract from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023.

In a memo to the council, Windham Town Manager Barry A. Tibbetts said that councilors needed to review the contract as state statutes  require municipalities to provide shelter at a state- licensed animal control shelter for stray and lost dogs, cats, and domestic pets that are a problem in the community and undomesticated animals that pose a threat to public health or safety, and requires that the municipality also must provide services relating to the humane disposition of said animals in the event they are not claimed by their owners.

Tibbets briefed councilors that the town has contracted with the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland for such services since 1990 and that the rate the town is charged remains unchanged under terms of the new annual contract.

The Animal Refuge League currently collects and reimburses the town a $25 impound fee the first time a pet owner claims a lost animal brought to the shelter by the town animal control officer. A $50 impound fee is imposed for a second offense and a $100 impound fee is charged for repeated housing of lost pets.

In 2021, the Animal Refuge League accepted 102 surrendered pets from Windham, including 79 cats, 18 dogs, four rabbits and a goat. Nine pets were returned to the shelter from Windham after adoption including five cats and four dogs. Some 89 stray animals picked up in Windham were housed at the ARL shelter in 2021, including 68 cats and 21 dogs.

Statistics compiled by the Animal Refuge League show that 131 pets were adopted by residents of Windham in the last year. That includes 89 cats, 34 dogs, two rabbits and six other animals.

The shelter also reported that 26 pets were determined to be dead upon arrival at the Animal Refuge League facility after transport there by a town animal control officer. That figure included 20 deceased cats and six deceased dogs.

From its shelter in Westbrook, the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland provides temporary care and shelter for stray, abandoned, confiscated, and relinquished animals, veterinary services, and places as many pets as possible into responsible and caring homes. It creates awareness and support for the humane treatment of all animals and strives to end animal overpopulation through education and the promotion of spaying and neutering.

In addition to animal care services and adoptions, the Animal Refuge League also offers dog training and hosts humane educations programs through the year.

Animal control services in Windham are administered by the Windham Police Department through an annual budget of $73,104. That amount includes the annual salary for the animal control officer, animal control unforms, equipment and supplies, and the services provided by the shelter. 

Under the terms of the new contract, the town will pay the Animal Refuge League $26,360.64 or about $1.43 per capita for those shelter services.  That amount is based upon the total number of residents of the town as determined by the 2020 census and remains unchanged from the amount charged in the previous annual contract, which expires June 30. <          

Help available for Windham, Raymond residents with missing pets

Microchipping is an effective way for animal
control staff members to identify and return
lost dogs. The average cost for the service is
less than $70 and widely available through
local veterinarians. COURTESY PHOTO

By Daniel Gray

Whether or not you have a fuzzy loved one at home, many know the heartbreak that happens when a family pet runs off and aren't able to find their way back home. It isn’t uncommon for dogs to run out the front door or somehow snap themselves off their leashes, but there are ways to prevent pets from becoming lost and if they do, to get them back home safely.

 

Windham resident Myia Canty, a student currently majoring in mechanical engineering at the University of Maine, knows exactly what it’s like to have her dog run off unexpectedly. And to make matters worse, she lives right near River Road in Windham, making it very dangerous if her dog were to run off.

Her German Shepherd and Lab mix named Trinity loves to play and will want to play in the front yard right next to the treacherous road.

 

“Every once in a while, she’ll see something move outside like a squirrel or my dad getting home from work, so she will just book it out the door and once she realizes she’s outside, she’ll get excited and think it’s time for a walk,” Canty said.

 

Recently, Trinity has started clicker training, which is when a pet owner can use a small hand-held device that makes a soft clicking noise that gains a dog’s attention and, when done properly, the dog can associate a click meaning they did a good job and get a treat. The Cantys started the training a year ago and say that it is extremely helpful with Trinity. She knows to come when the clicker sounds, which is a vast improvement from without the clicker.

 

A dog training company called Partners in Canine, 756 Roosevelt Trail in Windham, has a very confident outlook on clicker training. Partners in Canine owners and trainers Merri Button and Meg Terrio believe tremendously in the science behind clickers that dates to the 1890s. A Russian physiologist named Ivan Pavlov created the “classical conditioning theory,” ring a bell and give a dog food, and they will expect food every time the bell chimes. The same thing happens with clicker training.

 

“Once we have established this conditioned response to the clicker, we have the ability to do tons of things that can make training your dog easier and more positive,” Button and Terrio said.

 

Windham’s Lake Region Animal Hospital’s head veterinary technician, Leah Janus, has a very positive
view on clicker training as well, but said she would also add professional training into the mix.

 

“We feel that clicker training can be a great training tool for dogs. But, if you are a true beginner, it is probably best to start with a professional trainer,” Janus said. “Without realizing it, people can give their dogs confusing cues when they are learning how to train a dog.”

 

Partners in Canine offers a few different programs that can help with dog training if someone can’t do it on their own. They have the Puppy 101 course for younger dogs and also offer a Partner Program for dogs 6 months or older. These courses are made to help owners with dogs who have behavioral issues or goals they would like to achieve.

 

Janus says she also strongly urges residents to get their pets a microchip. The chip is injected and the chip itself is the size of a grain of rice, being placed between a dog's shoulder blades. The microchip has the dog's registration number along with where the ship was registered. If your dog is found and their chip is scanned through the skin, the vet clinic can contact the registry and get your information from there. At the Lakes Region Animal Hospital, it costs $66 dollars for the “Home Again” microchip bundle. It includes a microchip implanting chip, registration, 24/7 pet recovery assistance for one year, a medical hotline for pet poison control, and even a lost pet travel assistance for when dogs end up far away from home.

 

Jackie Frye is Windham’s personal animal control officer and for the past three years has logged 40 hours a week on average to assist with strays or various animals roaming in Windham. The town’s animal control’s budget for 2019 was a little more than $68,000 with this year’s budget being slightly more than $67,000.

 

When Frye is notified of an animal running loose, she catches them safely and brings them to the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland (ARLGP) in Westbrook. She does have happy stories to tell of when she has examined a lost dog’s collar to reunite them with their owners.

 

“Before going to the shelter, I’ll try to find the owner. If there’s a rabies tag with the number, I’ll also call the town to get the owner’s name and information,” Frye said. “I’ll definitely try to find the owner first and I would rather do this every time than go to ARLGP.”

 

Raymond’s animal control officer is Jessica Jackson who has been serving the public since 2013. Raymond’s lost pet process is similar to Windham’s with Jackson bringing stray animals to ARLGP or returning them home if the information is available. In 2019, the budget for Raymond’s animal control was about $32,000 and 2020’s budget was nearly $35,000.

 

Jeana Roth of Windham is the director of community engagement for the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland and said the first thing done when a stray animal arrives is to scan for a microchip or locate other information.

 

“For pets without any identification, we hold them for a period of time to try to locate their family and to observe and treat any medical needs they may have,” Roth said. “We work with groups like Maine Lost Dog Recovery/Maine Lost Cat Recovery on Facebook to share that we have a stray pet with the hopes of an owner being identified.”

 

Typical recovery fees for owners of animals taken to the shelter is $25 and all dogs are held there for six days.

 

Both Raymond and Windham mandate that pet owners register dogs each year. pick them up and they hold all dogs for six days.

 

Registration is Dec. 31 and requirements include proof of a rabies vaccination and veterinarian's name and phone number, and a neuter certificate if applicable. For neutered animals, the registration fee is just $6 or $11 for animals not neutered. Registration can be done online at the town website, by mail or in person at town offices. <