Rabies and microchipping at Middletown High School Saturday

Community: 6/9/12 Rabies and microchipping clinic at Middletown High school


9am-11am  on Saturday 6/9/2012




 Rabies and Microchipping Clinic along with a Pet Adoption Day


 Hosted by the Middletown Animal Control


 Rain or Shine


  Cash Only: $20.00  Rabies Vaccinations and $25.00 Microchipping


  Middletown Residents can license their dogs


  Adoptable dogs and cats from local shelters


 Saturday, June 9, 2012


 9am-11am


 Middletown High School VOAG Center LaRosa Lane, Middletown


 Donations will benefit the local animals at the shelter


Visit  www.Petfinder.com to view some of the available pets.


 Further Questions contact Middletown Animal Control 860-344-3298


 Sent by Middletown Police Department 222 Main Street, Middletown, CT 06457


 to get notices from the MPD delivered to your email sign up at www.nixle.com

It's almost kitten & puppy season...

.....It's almost spring and that means kitten & puppy season- what better time to spay and neuter your pets than this winter!

Rental Assistance Program and Section 8 Recipient Pet Owners
The Connecticut Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) will conduct a statewide pet spay/neuter program called “Connecticut’s Big Fix”. This event will be held from February 20th to the 24th, 2012.
If you are interested in this program, please call Town and Country Veterinary Associates, located in Vernon. P.C. 1-860-645-1700
• The cost for the program is $20.12 (includes vaccinations and sterilization).
• You MUST call to register and tell them you are a recipient of either the Rental Assistance Program or the Section 8 Program and where you live.
• You MUST be approved by the CVMA first.
• This program opportunity is available on a first come, first serve basis.
• “CT Big Fix” veterinarians are located throughout the state. A CVMA representative will contact you to set up an appointment. Every attempt will be made to assign your pet to a veterinary practice in your area.
• You MUST bring your Section 8 voucher or Rental Assistance Program certificate for final approval.
REMINDER: YOU MUST REGISTER AND MEET THE ABOVE REQUIREMENTS BEFORE YOU CAN BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE “CONNECTICUT BIG FIX”.

Catales: Bark & Boo Walk Fundraiser

October 22nd, from 2-5 pm Veterans Memorial Park, Walnut Grove Road Middletown $5 Entry Fee All are welcome to wear Halloween Costumes

Trick or Treat Bags will be provided! Open to Parents, Children,

Pet Lovers and their Pets

100% of Proceeds to benefit Catales, Inc. a non‐profit no-kill organization that provides food, medical care, and shelter for those purr-fect pets waiting to be adopted! Check out who is ready for adoption NOW!

At: www.catales.org Email Questions to: sandy@reynolds.org

1.5 Mile FUNdraising Walk, with treats for children and pets. Special Thank You’s go to the following: Willy’s Treats for donating Doggie Treats 2nd Year in a row! McDonald’s on Main St. and McDonald’s on Washington Street who have donated Happy Meal Collector Toys, Travel Bingo and Fun Time Game Booklets; and especially to A&A Office Systems for Donated Copy Services! You are all special.

Additional fees apply for various other vendor services (i.e. pet nail clipping etc.)

No Rain Date set at this time, just bring an umbrella, Pets still have to go out to do their thing! Kids love to play in the rain and so do some of us grown ups. Come have fun for the Purrrrr-fect Cause. If it is raining that day, check our website to find out if a Rain Date has been set.

Catales is a home grown non profit with it's main foster home in Middletown. Catales is run entirely by volunteers. Catales profits homes, medical care, and rehabilitation to feral and displaced felines. This year alone, they have adopted out nearly 100 animals alone. In picture left, Barabar Melia, Mayor Giuliano, and Catales founder Deb Bagley.

The Scoop On Poop

During a couple of recent walks, I noticed some interesting lawn signs. I will let them speak for themselves:

I also noticed this sign announcing a city ordinance about pet waste. The sign shows that there is a $25 fine for failure to properly dispose of dog waste:

Towns and municipalities all across the country have pet waste ordinances on the books and have conducted public education campaigns and written about why cleaning up pet waste is so important, as have organizations from the Huffington Post to the CT River Coastal Conservation District and everything in between. Here's a great flyer from the University of Wisconsin Extension. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency explains it fairly clearly here.

The pet waste ordinance here, probably like many other laws in the city, is difficult to enforce. Gail Petras, a Middletown Animal Control Officer (ACO), explained that the pet waste ordinance cannot be enforced unless an officer actually observes somebody violating the law. Still, it is a law, and it must be followed like any other law, and offenders risk being issued a citation if caught. A citation will land the offender with a $25 fine per the City of Middletown ordinance; however, it is issued on a state infraction form and includes additional charges for the state of CT. The total fine comes out to approximately $75. Petras stated that infractions have been issued on rare occasions, and once even led to an arrest when a violator became belligerent after being cited.

For residents trying to combat a repeated problem, there are ways to address it. The first step is to have a direct conversation with the offending neighbor and ask them to pick up after their pets. Of course, this is not always possible logistically and not always desirable or practical, depending on the circumstances.

The next step would be to send a complaint to ACO through e-mail, mail, or telephone. In a complaint, the sender of the complaint can choose whether or not to identify himself or herself. ACO Petras explains that enforcement action is not possible based on anonymous complaints. As a result of anonymous complaints, the ACO can only speak to the offender and explain the law.

A next step after submitting a complaint is to provide a written statement to the ACO that listsdates, times, and locations of the observed violations, as well as any known names of the violators. The ACO has the authority to issue an infraction based on written statements, which must be given in person and signed while an officer witnesses it.

Contact information for sending in complaints is:

email: middletownaco@yahoo.com

telephone at 860-344-3298.

paper mail: Animal Control c/o Middletown Police Dept, 222 Main St, Middletown, CT 06457

Additional information about the Animal Control in the city can be seen on the Police Department's website via this link. http://www.cityofmiddletownpolice.com/animalcontrol.html

The Eye would like to hear about reader's experiences with this issue in Middletown. If you have a story about it, please tell us in the comments.

Home Grown Animal Charity CATALES: dangerously low on funds / Upcoming Fundraiser

Catales is a wonderful local no-kill charity that rescues stray & abandoned cats and rehabilitates them for adoption, or provides them life long support when they are too sick to find new homes. The Middletown Animal Control is often unable to adequately help cats, so this is where Catales becomes such an important community resource. Over a decade ago, Catales was founded by Deb Bagley a life long resident of Middletown, runs the main facility with a team of volunteers who are present around the clock, while other cats being fostered all over Middletown by another dedicated group of volunteers who have opened their homes. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for Catales because it is a primary example of a Middletown citizen seeing a community need and dedicating themselves to solving the issue. The life long goal of the group is to have a new facility built that can be custom designed to meet the needs of the group. The shelter houses disabled animals and also spades and neuters animals for return to feral colonies when they cannot be adopted. I have known Deb and her family for over 20 years now, and in the past her and her compassionate group of volunteers have lobbied for stricter penalties for those convicted of animal cruelty in Connecticut. Catales has just published its spring newsletter, and according to Deb Bagley the group is very much in need this spring.
* Great donation ideas for groups, troops, families and clubs *
Currently we are low on funds to support the care of the cats and kittens in our foster homes and need donations of the following items: Friskies canned wet food…Paper Towels… Clorox Wipes….Monetary donations may be made on-line. Checks should be sent to CATALES at
PO Box 901, Middletown, CT 06457
As Deb shared in her letter, the Winter of 2010-2011 was especially harsh with ice and snow and our current cat shelters are on their last legs. Catales needs new houses for 2011 and the feral cat communities would greatly appreciate them. The "Feralvilla" home is a manufactured enclosure comes painted, with a fully shingled roof and insulated living area on the second floor and is approximately $90 including shipping. If you are interested in donating a home, please contact CATALES at info@catales.org for the shipping address. ** Catales will email you back with the shipping address and after we receive the shelter, a letter will be mailed to your billing address for tax purposes and to thank you for your generous donation.**
Below is a link to the Feralvilla web site:here

Many times where you hear of a case of animal hoarding or extreme neglect, often many of those cats from wherever in CT, pass thru Catales right here in Middletown.

There are many events coming up this spring at Catales, and the next is: 4/15/11 Spay-ghetti Dinner 6:30 pm Arrival, 7:00pm Dinner is served. 10 Elm St, Fox Parish, Middletown, CT Support our Spay & Neuter Program! Raffles, Door Prizes, Silent Auction and Vendors. $12/ticket PLUS bring 3 cans of Friskies wet canned food and be entered for the Door Prize Drawing.
The group is in need of raffle items such as crafts, art, or gift certificates and gift baskets from local businesses to make this event special. Catales is always looking for volunteers and donation, so please check out the website. And remember before you purchases an animal, consider adoption from Middletown's own backyard.
More information can be gotten at: http:// www.catales.org
Cats show above: Wes & Sweet Potato are both up for adoption. info@catales.org