Stephen Harding (right) with Billy Buckbee, the state represetnative from New Millford.
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Lee Sohl and therapy dog Freddie.
Photo by Mia Barnes
SHARON — Whether volunteering at schools, visiting prisons, or at her home in Kent, Lee Sohl can almost always be found with a dog.
For the past 32 years Sohl has served as animal control officer in Kent. She has since added on three other towns serving as the ACO in Sharon for 10 years, Salisbury for seven, and most recently Cornwall.
Her and her husband, Jim Sohl, who is also ACO certified, live with 14 dogs of their own.
Originally from Westchester County, New York, Sohl fostered her love of animals from a young age. Dogs became the subject of her artwork and she said, “By age 12 I had read every dog book in the Chappaqua Public Library.
As she gained more experience, the number of animals in her care grew. She revealed that at one point there were 50 animals in her house, ranging from llamas and pigs to ferrets and chinchillas.
Sohl was asked by the First Selectman in 1991 to take over as the town dog warden, and having had experience working at the Kent pound, she agreed. For the past three decades she has been fielding calls, answering questions, and searching for dogs while also balancing her full-time job as a reading interventionist and assistant principal at Kent Center School.
The work of an ACO, though seemingly animal centered, involves a significant amount of human interaction. Aside from dogs that Sohl herself finds roaming, the majority of the reports come from community members.
Most cases fall under one of two categories, nuisance (biting or barking) and roaming. The ways in which Sohl responds vary from case to case.
Above all her goal is to educate the owners, whether that be through a reminder of the licensing mandates or tips on how to handle disobedient behavior. “The people here are animal lovers,” emphasized Sohl after stating that she tries to limit her ticketing to “frequent flyers” and formal complaints.
“Social media has made a big difference,” said Sohl when asked about how reports are generated. When Sohl started the job, she had 60 dogs in the pound in one year just for Kent; last year there were 20 dogs across all four towns.
When a dog is reported as roaming, all efforts are focused on identification and reunification. If an animal is licensed or is microchipped, they are almost always guaranteed to return home. In other cases, Sohl takes to the newspaper and various social media platforms. During that time, the dog will stay in the pound in which town they were found for a week before being able to be placed in a new home.
“The pound can be a traumatizing place for most dogs” remarked Sohl when describing the urgency of her work. “Though the job is part-time, I am working 24/7.”
In the past two years she has increased outreach efforts by bringing her 3 therapy dogs to schools, libraries, nursing homes and most recently prisons.
“Students have a much easier time reading to a dog than a teacher or parent,” noted Sohl. “It takes a lot of the stress off.”
While reflecting on her time as an ACO she stated, “This is a great life with animals and because of them my world has been opened up to new opportunities.”
In the past year she has written, illustrated, and self-published 6 books — each one focusing on one of her 14 dogs. She has already started the creative process for the next book.
“There’s been so many fun experiences,” Sohl reflected. “I get to help these animals while also meeting great people.”
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