Windham council renews annual contract with Animal Refuge League

By Ed Pierce

Some of the most vulnerable members of the community will continue to have someone watching out for them as the Windham Town Council has approved an annual contract with The Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland.

Adoptable dogs Traced and Zinna romp around following a
snowstorm at the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland
in Westbrook. The Town of Windham has renewed its annual
contract with the Animal Refuge League to help care for
strays picked up locally. COURTESY PHOTO 

The new contract starts July 1 and runs through June 30, 2025 at a cost of $27,098 for the temporary care and shelter for stray, abandoned, confiscated or relinquished animals collected by Windham’s animal Control Officer and transported to the ARLGP shelter in Westbrook.

During a town council meeting Jan. 23, Windham Assistant Town Manager Bob Burns told the council that the rate for the contract’s renewal is based upon 2020 U.S. Census figures for the town, which recorded 18,434 residents living in Windham. Under terms of this year’s contract, the per capita rate charged by the Animal Refuge League for the town rose 4 cents overall, going from $1.43 to $1.47 per resident.

“ARLGP then collects and reimburses Windham $25 for an animal impound fee on animals recovered by the Windham Animal Control Officer,” Burns said. “The impound fee rises to $50 for a second offense and $100 for each subsequent offense.”

Maine law requires municipalities to provide shelter at a state licensed animal control shelter for strayed and lost dogs, cats, and domesticated animals 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.

Funding obtained by the communities it serves allows the shelter to offer veterinary care for strays and provide adoption services for as many pets as possible into responsible and caring homes. The ARLGP organization is an open-admission shelter, giving every pet hope for a new life.

It strives to create awareness and support for the humane treatment of all animals, end animal overpopulation through proper education while promoting spaying and neutering, and only makes end-of-life decisions for animals based on safety, health, and animal welfare considerations.

According to information posted on the ARLGP website, last year the shelter adopted 3,012 pets from its facility including 1,979 cats, 796 dogs, and 237 bunnies, birds, and other animals. It provided training classes for 549 dogs and handlers and reached 2,116 children with its humane education outreach program in the area in 2023.

The shelter also took in 1,521 animals overall in 2023 from across Maine and the United States and worked to place 981 strays seized from inhumane environments to good homes. Reports also show that a total of 954 pets in the Greater Portland area received clinical care, pet food and reunification services from ARLGP last year and 1,515 animals were placed in foster care situations while awaiting permanent new homes.

Windham has contracted with the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland for stray care services since 1990.

Statistics compiled by the Animal Refuge League show that 222 pets were adopted by residents of Windham in the last year. Some 142 stray animals were picked up in Windham and housed at the ARL shelter in 2023, and the facility processed 121 surrenders from Windham.

Animal control services in Windham are administered by the Windham Police Department through an annual budget of $77,046. That amount includes the annual salary for the animal control officer, animal control uniforms, equipment and supplies, and the services provided by the shelter.

Councilors voted unanimously to approve the new contract. <

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. <          

Four Windham children demonstrate how money can buy you happiness

Four local children crafted bracelets made
out of pipe cleaners and sold them for 25
cents. After earning $100 they donated 
100 percent of the proceeds to the Animal
Refuge League of Greater Portland. Shown
are students Ben Dubois, Jackson Dubois,
Lily Kuusela and Jackson Kuusela.
SUBMITTED PHOTO

By Lorraine Glowczak

In his November 2011 Ted Talk, Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, Michael Norton, shared some fascinating research on how money buys happiness. The data he shared regarding fiscal currency and its relationship to joy and bliss would be surprising to most.

“If you are not happy spending money,” Norton said in his Ted Talk, “then you are not spending it right.”

According to Norton’s research, four delighted Windham youth are spending their money wisely.

The young money-making entrepreneurs in question include second grade student, Ben Dubois and his brother Jackson who is a fifth-grade student, along with first grader, Lily Kuusela and her older brother Jackson, also a fifth-grade student.

These four youthful businesspersons created a small enterprise of making bracelets out of multi-colored pipe cleaners and sold them to the community as a creative way to occupy their time during the pandemic when they were not busy doing their schoolwork. As for the money they made? They gave it all away to the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland (ARLGP).

“Logan has made bracelets in the past and he thought about selling them so we all decided it would be fun to do this as a business together,” Jackson Dubois said, who is a longtime family friend and classmate of Logan’s. “We built and set up a stand to sell them for 25 cents each. We were going to split and keep the money but decided to donate all of it.”

This entrepreneurial turned philanthropy endeavor began in mid-November. By mid-December as Lily Kuusela noted, the stand was set up at the end of the Kuusela family driveway. They made $100.

“We made $2.00 on the very first day,” Logan said.

Although the four youngsters were successful at selling bracelets at their stand, news got around quickly and individuals within the community started making orders via the children’s parents’ Facebook pages.

“In some cases, we had people donate money after they realized the kids were making the money to give away to the animal shelter,” one of the mothers, Kim Kuusela said. “We even had someone donate a package containing 350 pipe cleaners, but we do not know who the doner was. No one is owning up to that.”

The $100 was delivered on Wednesday, Feb. 17.. As for the choice to give the money away to the ARLGP, the decision was easy.

“We all love animals and we wanted to be able to help the shelter feed the animals with that money,” the children said. “And we got Oliver from there,” Ben Dubois said of his family cat.

As for the parents Kim and Jon Kuusela and Jon Dubois and Jodi Mitchell-Dubois, their children sparked wonder and amazement.

“I was very surprised when they decided to donate their money to the ARLGP,” Jodi Mitchell said. “They worked hard and had fun, and they could have decided to buy something for themselves or split it and each take a share. None of them hesitated to donate the money, and while I was surprised, I was also incredibly proud of them all for coming together and looking outside themselves.” 

“I should not say I’m surprised because they are very kind children and always have been, but I was…… well - surprised” Kim Kuusela said. “It’s not often that people think about others before themselves. We have been blessed a lot in our lives and we believe God has given that to us. If we have more than we need, we try to instill in our kids that we should help those who do need. It was a proud moment that this message has resonated with our children. It has produced in me wonder and pride.”

The Kuusela and Dubois youngsters are not stopping here, and they spoke with excitement about their next endeavor.

“The next time we want to sell bracelets and give the money to a homeless shelter,” Logan Kuusela said.

Although bracelets made out of pipe cleaners may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, Norton ends his Ted Talk with this powerful statement, “The specific way you spend on other people is not as important as the fact that you spend money on other people. You can still do small, trivial things and you can make yourself happy.”

The parents of the children wish to give a shout out to all the community members who encouraged the youngsters in living their dream of philanthropy. “They helped to make this possible, too.”

To purchase bracelets from the Kuusela/Dubois children, with all the proceeds from their current endeavor going to a homeless shelter, email orders at: windhambraceletsforacause@gmail.com

Interested in watching Norton’s Ted Talk? Go to: https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_norton_how_to_buy_happiness <

 

 

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. <