The SPCA of Connecticut needs to find homes for about 50 dogs quickly.
Seventy-seven dogs are currently living at the no-kill shelter in Monroe and a court order requires that the shelter have no more than 29 dogs as of April 30.
“We need really, really caring, qualified adopters,” Fred Acker, of the SPCA of Connecticut, said
Many of the dogs as easily adoptable, he said, but others as more challenging and worries he might not be able to find adopted homes for enough dogs by the April deadline.
The court order came about after a battle between the SPCA, its neighbors and the town of Monroe.
The neighbor, at an adjacent property, said there is constant barking and the smell coming from the property is difficult to live with.
“The problem isn’t with the people of the town of Monroe, because they’re great,” Acker said.
For instance, a local middle school raised $600 for the shelter at an event Monday night.
“The problem is politics,” Acker said.
Town officials said they’re just trying to force him to comply with local law.
“The neighbors surrounding Mr. Acker’s property have been complaining for years about Mr. Acker’s rescue operations, and he is now under the orders of two different judges to reduce the scale of his operations and comply with the zoning laws. All we are doing is asking Mr. Acker to comply with the judges’ orders,” First Selectman Steve Vavrek said in a statement.
Acker said the property was zoned as a kennel for decades before Acker bought the property in 1999 and the town has been hounding him over the zoning since 2004.
Acker said the town’s approach to the dogs is insensitive. If he is unable to meet the 29-dog limit by the end of April, he could face fines and possibly jail time. He believes the fate of some of the dogs could be far worse.
“They could conceivably seize and destroy the animals,” Acker said. “They would have that option. It’s not something that we would ever do.”
To help, call the SPCA at (203) 445-9978, or visit its Web site.
