municipal animal control agency serving the citizens / animals of Waterford and East Lyme Connecticut Location, Hours of Operation. Impounded animals. Wildlife.
~~~~~~~Important Information~~~~~~~
Welcome to the Waterford East Lyme Animal Control. Our hours are weekdays between 9 and 4 we CANNOT make appointments because we often get called out on the road to handle calls, we have to handle every animal call for 79 square miles of territory and there are only two ACO's handling the workload. If we are not at the shelter, call the WPD routine number 860-44
2-9451 and they can let you know our ETA back to the shelter. The Waterford facility has been permanently closed, we are now operating out of the New London Animal Shelter which is located in the rear of Bates Woods Park at 120 Chester Street NL. While we are sharing space in the New London facility, we are still separate agencies, New London personnel do not respond or handle calls in Waterford or East Lyme. All animals impounded at the shelter must by law be advertised in the paper and held for 8 days, giving the owners the opportunity to claim their animal, in that time period, we are observing the animals behavior and evaluating its adoption potential. Sadly due to liability issues, animals showing aggression for any reason WILL NOT be considered candidates for adoption. For the animals that are adoptable, interested parties should come to the animal shelter in person and meet the animal and the ACO, complete an adoption application that will be used to help us determine the best candidate for adopting the animal. NO ONE will be considered for an adoption candidate if you do not come to the shelter to meet the ACO and the animal. Most animal adoption fees are $50.00, and include a voucher from the State of Connecticut good for money off getting the animal fixed plus 2 free vaccinations. However, some animals are available for whatever you would like to make as a donation to the animal shelter. Wildlife concerns in the State are handled primarily by the State DEEP, they can be reached at 860-424-3011. The ONLY time we would become involved would be the suspicion of rabies, then as a public service a Police Officer or an ACO will respond to evaluate the animals behavior and symptoms, and if necessary, shoot and remove the animal. Any animal displaying aggression to humans or that appears "drunk" should be reported. Rabies is a neurological disease that affects the brain like alcohol, so any animal that is staggering, falling over, extremely wobbly such as a highly intoxicated person, should be reported. Wild animals that are attacked and killed by domestic dogs should be reported and may be tested at the Uconn health Lab at your expense Sadly the State of Connecticut will no longer pay for rabies examinations for only and animal exposure. Please do not claim you think the animal is rabid just to get a response, because if the animal is not showing signs or symptoms of rabies, the animal will not be removed, we cannot come remove foxes, coyotes, fisher cats, bobcats or other predators just because you don't want them around. These predators have and will continue to kill and eat cats, chickens and unattended dogs in this area, this is part of the circle of life and not something we can address. Please keep your cats indoors and go outside with your dogs, keep them close especially at dusk, dawn and night time. Skunks, although smelly, are another animal we cannot evict from your property unless they are displaying symptoms of rabies. You can contact a nuisance wildlife control company, they are in the phone book under pest control. If you see any animal that is injured, please contact the routine number and we will make an effort to assist the animal, some can be captured and taken to wildlife rehab facilities, others need to be humanely euthanized to ease their suffering, still others may be left alone for nature to take its course. Mange is another disease that affects some animals in this area, Mange is a skin parasite that makes the animals look very unhealthy, their fur falling out as they scratch and itch. This may cause a nocturnal animal to be out in the daylight because they are not hunting as well as they would and they are looking for food. Mange is not a symptom of rabies and we cannot come out and trap or shoot animals showing symptoms of mange. again your concerns for these animals could possibly be addressed by DEEP or a nuisance wildlife control company. Cats. Sadly in the state of Connecticut, cats are not regulated like dogs are, there are no laws or statutes that allow us to collect "stray cats" off the street, and being a branch of the government we cant do much without a law that gives me the authority, There are numerous stray cat rescue groups run by private citizens, however, many of them are already full with other stray cats, another recourse for stray cats would be the Connecticut Humane Society on Old Colchester road in Quaker Hill, however, many cats travel for miles from where they live so it is possible that the cat you think is a stray may in fact belong to a neighbor three streets away. Donations. all monetary donations made to the animal shelter are tax deductible by law as we are a not for profit entity. checks should be made payable to the Town of East Lyme and sent to Animal Control 41 Avery Lane Waterford Connecticut 06385. I will make sure the money is deposited into a dedicated account that can only be used by the animal shelter. Amazon wish list. an ongoing list of items needed by the animal shelter that you could purchase and have delivered for us! thanks for all your help, the animal shelter operates almost exclusively on donations. https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1IAO2YISBEGEE/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1?_encoding=UTF8&type=wishlist
thanks!!
10/22/2022
Update: Oreo is no longer available
Oreo is still here at the shelter waiting for his forever home. So far he has had no interest. Oreo was picked up roaming over a month ago and was never claimed by his owner. He enjoys long walks, tennis balls and any type of treat he can get in his mouth. Oreo is an intact male, pit bull mix, around two years of age. His $50 adoption fee would come with a certificate from the state good for two free vaccines and money off his neuter surgery. He would be open to meeting canine siblings but would prefer a home with no small children.
10/21/2022
Stopped to get a coffee today, found this really cool walking stick bug, severely disrupting the drive through window as the employees were frightened. At great personal risk to my safety, I captured him and removed him from the window. Just kidding, he is harmless, I put my hand out and he walked onto it. I took him back to the forest where he belongs. The second pic shows his incredible camouflage ability. Good luck Mr. Stick!
10/21/2022
This dog has been adopted!
Found Dog
This beautiful girl was found in Niantic last night on Dell Road. If anyone recognizes her or knows the owner please give us a call at 860-442-9451 extension 2 and leave a message with your name and phone number.
10/16/2022
Update: Thank you everyone for your donations, we are all set for now on dog food.
Good morning Facebook friends! We are in need of dry dog food, our bin is very low. If anyone is out today and feels like picking some up donations can be dropped off anytime at the shelter, 120 Chester Street in New London or at the Waterford Police Department in the lobby. We are happy with any brand.
Attached is our Amazon wish list if you don't feel like going to the store. ;-)
Update: This dog has been adopted
Found dog
This little one was found on Clark Lane in Waterford. Does anyone recognize her? Please share so we can get her home as soon as possible.
If you haven’t liked our new page please do so. This is how we get a lot of dogs home and we’re more likely to get them home with the help of our Facebook followers.
10/13/2022
Update: Dobby has been adopted.
Meet, Dobby, he is an intact male mix of some sort, he is small, around 12 pounds, we estimate he is around a year old. Dobby was found roaming and when he was picked up, the person tried to reach under him to see if he was male or female and Dobby chomped him on the hand, Dobby is really scared at the shelter, but he is ready to meet new people. He is willing to meet other small dogs and cats but he would not like to live with small children. Dobby needs a quiet home where he can relax and feel safe. If you would like to meet him, send us a Facebook message. his adoption fee would be $50.00 which includes a voucher from the state good for money off getting him neutered.
10/13/2022
I would like to thank the following people who made donations to the animal shelter in memory of Linda Abbiati.
Donna Gibbs
Mary Moran
Joan Stanley
Marie Longo
Gary Jennings
Alicia Smith
10/13/2022
Our deepest condolences go out to our brothers and sisters in blue at the Bristol Police Department who lost two Officers in the line of duty last night, a third officer is fighting to survive in the hospital. while I may have retired from the Police Department in 2016, my heart still bleeds blue. May God bless them and their families in this time of sorrow.
10/12/2022
Our fundraiser for breast cancer awareness month is well underway. We have added a pink badge patch to our uniforms. We still have some of each available for purchase, $10.00 per patch, the proceeds will go to the Terri Brodeur cancer center. This is such a worthy cause, please help us meet our goal of $1000.00!
10/09/2022
Update: our new little sheep friend is safe and sound back at the shelter.
Sheep on the loose in Waterford
This little guy was last seen on Robin Hill Road in Waterford. If you see the sheep please do not chase it, it could and probably would run into the road.
If you wake up and find this little guy in your fenced in yard tomorrow please close them in and give us a call at 860-442-9451.
10/05/2022
I would like to thank the following people for making donations to the shelter or getting us items off our amazon wish list, we can do so much more with your help! thank you!!
Ann Antley
Diane Amburn
John Jeffords
George Abbiati
Cora Abbiati
Barbara Facas