SHARON — Sharon is a hospital town, which means the town clerk and her staff have more documents to file than those in other area towns. For Sharon’s town clerk, Linda Amerighi, though, it’s all good. “I’m never bored. I’m always learning something new.”“The Connecticut Town Clerks Association once listed more than 300 different jobs town clerks are responsible for,” she told The Lakeville Journal.During a one-hour interview with Amerighi in the town clerk’s office, it seemed 300 may be a low number.“We maintain the accuracy of their land records, their property,” Amerighi said, ticking off some of the services the clerk provides to town residents. “We are responsible for making sure that when documents come in they are recorded and indexed properly; this includes mortgages, refinancing, estates, liens and payments of liens. That aspect of the job is enormous in itself. Property and homes represent peoples’ livelihoods.“Real-property-related work takes up the largest percentage of what is required from this office because it encompasses so many different aspects. We also have to make that information available to title searchers and banks.”Amerighi has been the Sharon town clerk since Aug. 10, 1989. “I love my job,” she said. “It’s important in any job that you are constantly challenging your mental awareness and capabilities in being able to do what is required of you, and this job certainly does that.“Helping the public is important to me,” she said. “That’s why I am here. After 23 years, I still love my job.”To help her serve the public, she has two part-time assistants: Marie France-Corsini and Nancy Wadman.A lifelong and avid dog lover, Amerighi said she is passionate about dog licenses. “Providing dog licenses to residents is a small part of the office work, but it is very important for people to license their dogs. People should understand it is not just because the state gets money. It’s because a license is a dog’s way to find its way home. So many times I get calls from people saying, ‘I found a dog. It has a tag. Do you have the number?’ It’s such a quick way home for dogs. If found dogs do not have a tag, they just go to the pound.”Revenue from dog licenses goes into the state’s spay/neuter program, which helps people who cannot afford those procedures for their pets. The town clerk is also responsible for selling hunting and fishing licenses. Two years ago the state mandated use of a new computer system for sale of the licenses. When the first new computer was installed and didn’t work, the vendor provided a new one. To Amerighi’s frustration, the second one also failed.At that point, the “take charge” town clerk took matters into her own hands. She sent the second computer back to the vendor. And she began to advise license-seekers to do it themselves online. Anyone who has a state conservation number (meaning they previously had one of the licenses) can get the renewal at the town clerk’s office; the $1 fee goes to the town.Those are some of the tasks that bring the general public into contact with the town clerk. Some of her other jobs?“Election information; birth and death certificate information; marriage license information and marriage certificate information; how to find a notary public; how to become a justice of the peace; map information; property transfer information is available to the public including information on how much homes and property have sold for; zoning and other town regulations; inland wetlands regulations; subdivision regulations and subdivision and zoning maps.”And more. And as if that wasn’t enough to keep her busy, Amerighi also maintains the town’s website at www.sharonct.org. Much of that work gets done at home, on evenings and weekends.“One of the biggest things the town clerk’s office has done for people is increase their access to what we offer on our website. Our goal is to eventually have everything possible about the town on the website.” Town clerks are very busy during the municipal election years. Presidential election years mean even more work. “You have primaries, you have more phone calls, you have more calls for absentee ballots and there are more people requesting overseas presidential ballots,” Amerighi said.
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Marsala is eager to go home with you.
Tiffany Lemelin, shelter manager, brushing Marsala upon arrival.Provided
The Little Guild is an animal shelter at 285 Sharon-Goshen Turnpike in West Cornwall. Founded in 1957, the organization rescues animals from local surrenders and under-resourced shelters. When a rescue animal arrives at The Little Guild, staff begins a careful intake and transition process to ensure the animal is safe, healthy and ready for adoption.
New arrivals are quarantined in-house. Vaccinations are verified as up to date, and staff assesses each animal’s medical, behavioral and placement needs. Rescues receive medical care, daily support and behavioral training to ease shelter stress. Once a dog has finished quarantine and is ready for a home, its profile is published at littleguild.org.
Michael DeBarba, certified dog trainer working with Marsala.Jennifer Almquist
Prospective adopters fill out an online application with information about their household and veterinary and personal references.
The next step is for the prospective adopter and family members to meet the dog. If there is already a dog in the household, a meet-and-greet is scheduled so the dogs can get acquainted.
The animal care staff offers guidance based on its knowledge of each animal’s personality, needs and quirks to help families find the best fit.
Marsala wins a heart.Jennifer Almquist
Once a match is made, the adoption contract outlines aftercare. Adopters agree to return the animal to The Little Guild if the adoption doesn’t work out. The organization’s commitment continues after adoption, with six months of free training and follow-up from staff to answer questions or address concerns.
“Please don’t pass Marsala by,” Lemelin said. “He loves people and other dogs. He’s a lap dog who lives for snuggles, cuddles and face kisses. Marsala deserves a family, a soft bed and a lifetime of being chosen.”
To find out about Marsala and other rescue dogs and cats, visit littleguild.org
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Sampson, a playful and independent blind hound mix, explores the rescue’s large yard.
Though she takes in dogs of all ages, including some with disabilities — and one resident cat — the rescue’s motto is “Giving old dogs new lives.”
Sadie, center, a Carolina dog, plays with her friend Negra, a terrier mix. Bella Linda, the small poodle, has since been adopted.L. Tomaino
Sadie, a sweet Carolina dog, was the first to greet visitors.
“She could really use a home,” Meade said.
Then came Bonnie and Clyde, rat terriers; Negra, a small terrier mix; Sampson, a blind hound mix; and Jay Z, a terrier mix who was emaciated when Meade took him in and has since filled out, with fur regrowing over previously bald patches. Wesley, a young, shaggy mix whom Meade calls “a very good boy,” is also in need of a home.
Wesley, a young, exuberant mix, is looking for an active home.L. Tomaino
Meade began rescuing dogs after going to Waterbury to adopt one and learning that, by the end of the three-day weekend, the dogs she was looking at would be euthanized to make room for others.
She went home and started her rescue in New Preston, Connecticut. After five years there, she moved to California, where she rescued dogs from overcrowded pounds for 13 years.
Meade, a busload of dogs and her cat moved back to the Northeast a little more than a year ago.
Ninety-nine percent of the dogs at the rescue come from pounds, both locally and in California and New York City.
“We are more than happy to place dogs with older people, and we are also willing to give support after the adoption,” Meade said, noting that some rescues will not adopt to people over 60.
Bonnie and Clyde, an affectionate terrier pair.L. Tomaino
For those who cannot adopt, the rescue needs donations of old blankets, dog and cat food, cleaning supplies, puppy pads and dog treats. Monetary donations are also welcome and can be made through the rescue’s website. Meade also welcomes volunteers to help with the dogs.
Contact Meade at 805-239-4004, 860-866-7986 or 4dots@att.net to arrange a visit or drop off donations. For available dogs and more information, visit meadecaninerescue.org.
Newtown Veterinary Specialists
For Berkshire County residents, VCA All Caring Animal Hospital, 440 Stockbridge Road in Great Barrington, can be a nearby first call. The full-service hospital offers diagnostics and hospitalization and asks clients with an emergency or a pet requiring immediate attention to call rather than use its online contact form. It is not a 24-hour emergency hospital, however. Current hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. It is closed Sunday. Call 413-528-8020.
Poughkeepsie also has several options for urgent care. Creature Comforts Animal Hospital, 64 Pine St., is a full-service veterinary hospital offering emergency and critical care during regular business hours. The hospital treats dogs and cats as well as birds, reptiles and other exotic pets. Hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. It is closed Sunday. For after-hours emergencies involving dogs and cats, the hospital refers patients to regional emergency facilities. Call 845-625-2474.
Community Animal Care, 269 Titusville Road, offers urgent and emergency care during operating hours and asks pet owners to call ahead. Regular hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Urgent care is available daily by calling ahead, with extended hours until 9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. The practice also offers after-hours veterinary triage by video to help owners determine whether a pet can safely wait or should be taken to a 24-hour facility. Call 845-471-7459.
When an animal needs care in the middle of the night, on a holiday or for a potentially life-threatening condition, the options become more limited.
Guardian Veterinary Specialists, 4 Hardscrabble Heights in Brewster, is a 24-hour emergency and specialty hospital, open seven days a week, 365 days a year. Its emergency department is staffed around the clock, with on-site imaging and laboratory services. No appointment is necessary for an emergency, although calling ahead is encouraged when possible. Call 914-704-3400.
Provided
Newtown Veterinary Specialists, 52 Church Hill Road in Newtown, Connecticut, also provides emergency care 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays. No appointment is required for emergency care, although the hospital recommends calling ahead when possible. Call 203-270-8387.
Pet owners should remember that emergency veterinary hospitals operate much like human emergency rooms in that patients are triaged according to the severity of their condition, so animals with less critical problems may have to wait.
The best preparation is simple. Keep the number of your regular veterinarian and at least one 24-hour emergency hospital in your phone, and know roughly how long it will take to get there. If circumstances allow, call before leaving home to confirm where your pet should be seen.
When something goes wrong at 10 p.m. on a Sunday, knowing where you’re headed can make a frightening situation a little less overwhelming.
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