Terryville animal shelter at risk of closing

TERRYVILLE, Conn. (WFSB) - This time of year, can be rough for animal shelters and rescues.

Not as many people are adopting, which means the money to take care of the animals dries up fast.

That is exactly what is happening to one animal rescue in Terryville as medical bills have piled up.

“Last little dog came in with a broken leg, 4 months old, took it to have its leg checked out, and needed to be amputated. That’s 4-5 thousand dollars,” said Holly Goodwin, VP, Animal Rescue Foundation. “Those are the expenses that we don’t expect and just show up at your door on a Saturday and we can’t turn them down.”

Animal Rescue Foundation says they have 13 dogs and over 25 cats, but it can be hard to keep up with their care.

Since Covid, donations have gone down but the number of animals in their care has gone up.

“November is pretty dry for us, and adoption fees aren’t coming in to cover our bills,” said Holly.

Maureen Oullette is the treasurer, so she knows the money that goes out is extensive compared to what they have trickling in.

She says donations are down 10% of what is already a low year.

“Our expenses have gone up, not just for vet care but for animal food because of the supply chain and everything else. All our expenses have gone up, just as everybody’s at home has gone up, and our food expenses have gone up by 20% and we have to absorb that somehow,” said Maureen.

Times are so tough right now, there is only one bag of food left for all 13 dogs.

They say they are not able to send the pets to other rescues.

“The rescues are just so full; we get calls every day from people looking to spread out their dogs. The pounds are full, they’re calling us to see if we can pull from them. There’s just no space,” said Holly.

Facebook friends are trying to help, and the rescue says they do their own fundraisers.

But if these dogs are to be guaranteed a forever home, they will need your help and donations.

Animal Rescue Foundation is a no-kill rescue.

If you would like to donate, CLICK HERE.