Thanks to a private, non-profit organization that gets no money from the town or state, Ridgefield is not a one-pound town.
The Ridgefield Operation for Animal Rescue, known as ROAR, is marking its 10th year of operation as a rescue shelter for dogs and cats who have lost their homes or never had a home. It has nothing to do with the animal control operation of the Police Department, which is across the street.
“In 10 years we’ve saved more than 4,500 dogs and cats,” said Allyson Dotson, director of the shelter, located in a rustic looking building at 45 South Street, near the recycling center.
Many of the dogs are saved from euthanasia and deplorable conditions in the South. Some are surrendered locally because their owners passed away, or can no longer take care of them. None of the dogs were stray, or terminally ill.
“We work at finding them a better home,” Dotson said.
One of the new outreach programs marking the 10th anniversary is Pets of Vets, which matches military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder with soothing, calming pets that can help ease their symptoms.
ROAR is the first shelter chapter in Connecticut to participate in the nationwide program. The first veteran placed with a dog was from Naugatuck.
“It’s wonderful for us,” Dotson said. “We’ve already placed our first dog with a vet.”
The ROAR Donofrio Family Animal Shelter is fairly small, as animal shelters go. It has 12 dog kennels and 12 cat kennels, complete with air-conditioning, heated floors and private yards. That number can be doubled if animals are related and come from the same home.
“We try to keep it small because we want to make sure every animal receives personal attention,” Dotson said.
“We want them to have the care they’d receive in their own home. It’s different from other rescues where they save hundreds of animals, and the animals do not even have names, they have numbers,” Dotson said.
The shelter, which is 10 years old although ROAR itself was operated by volunteers privately without the building before that, is not to be confused with the town’s dog pound, run by a canine control officer who handles roaming dogs, licensing requirements, investigates canine nuisance complaints, canine violation enforcement and conducts rabies investigations, said Capt. Jeff Kreitz, spokesman for the Ridgefield Police Department.
“Though ROAR does not investigate or enforce canine violations in the town, they are a great organization that does a lot of good,” Kreitz said, adding that the police-run dog pound handles its own adoptions.
On the 10th anniversary of ROAR, the non-profit organization measures its success in different ways. One is the generous private support it receives, for example, from the Blue Buffalo pet food company, based in Wilton. Blue Buffalo provides all the pet food free. “We’re very grateful to them,” she said.
Another point of success is the huge volunteer base. They can often be seen walking dogs down the road for exercise.
“We have 130 volunteers,” Dotson said. “That’s a lot for a rescue.”
The 10th anniversary has also been marked with a dog dash fund-raiser, a running event. There are also plans for a beer and wine festival and to open lectures on dog- and cat-related educational topics to the public.
On the counter, in the lobby of the building, is a photo book full of pictures of all the animals available for adoption. Pictures and stories about the animals also run in The Press every week. There is a Therapy Dog program, in addition to a regular adoption, and also a Senior for Senior program, matching senior citizens with lovable senior dogs.
The adoption fees range in the hundreds of dollars.
Also at the counter are messages about unconditional love, which is what pets give.
“The human/animal bond is as old as human history,” the group says on its Web page, roar-ridgefield.org. “We cherish our pets for the unconditional love and acceptance they give us.”
Lacy, the young female Australian cattle dog, with Allyson Dotson, director of ROAR. —Tony Spinelli photo
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