Abandoned dogs need loving homes

CORNWALL — Why would someone abandon 14 healthy, loveable dogs?

The answer may never be known. But a day spent rescuing them by town dog wardens and residents will, with luck, assure they go to good homes and are never left out in the cold again.

"They were left in the pines," Animal Control Officer Rick Stone said of the group of "mutts" that were apparently and very recently someone’s pets.

They were frightened and timid, not aggressive as one would expect from animals roaming in a pack, Stone said. They wore baling-twine collars.

The saga began with phone calls from residents reporting strange dogs on a hillside above Valley Road in the village.

"They had stayed pretty much in one area, but it still took [Assistant Animal Control Officer] Brad [Hedden] and me and some others a whole day to catch them all. April Neubauer was very helpful by sitting with the dogs and calming them down."

The state provided traps.

Five of the dogs were taken to The Little Guild. The remainder went to the Harwinton Dog Pound. They are all available for adoption. Stone has his eye on one "sweet guy."

"They’re all good dogs, well-fed and healthy," Stone said. "I’m very tempted to take one of them home. You can tell right away he’s a great dog."

Stone theorized that someone moved away or for some reason could not keep the dogs. It’s unlikely that someone would have just turned them out on a whim, or that they escaped and no one was looking for them.

Asked if he will try to find out who abandoned the canines, Stone said, "I’ve been questioning those dogs over and over again, and they’re still not talking."