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Wallkill Valley Times, Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Plans for puppies and a farmhouse
aired at town board meeting
By JESSICA COHEN
A pit bull mix puppy named Polly may
have budged the Town of Montgomery log
jam on the future of Benedict Farmhouse.
At the Town of Montgomery council
meeting on Thursday, Polly accompanied
Joan Buckley and Kimberly Cooper,
Walden Humane Society board members,
as they asked the council for assistance.
“We’d like to get to know you and see
how the town can help us,” said Buckley.
“We’re on a tight budget.”
She said the shelter had adopted out
900 animals last year and returned 80 lost
dogs to their homes. Cooper explained
that Polly, who sat calmly in Buckley’s
lap, had been rescued from a shelter in
the south where s he, like many animals
there, would have soon been euthanized.
Coming to the Walden shelter would save
her, and her adoption fee would offset the
cost of keeping older dogs, who spend
more time at the shelter before being
adopted. Five puppies had been adopted
that day, she said.
“Puppies and small dogs are adopted
right away,” said Buckley. “But that’s not
what people surrender.”
They have other fundraising strategies,
such as their regular yard sales that raise
$20,000 a year, Buckley said. The shelter
also has a contract with town animal
control to house animals the animal
control officer takes in. But their kennels
are over 40 years old, built as “holding
cells,” she said. Now that the facility
keeps animals for years at a time rather
than euthanizing them, the kennel is
poorly suited to that function, and they
have little space for people to get to know
animals and for programs they have and
plan to have. They currently have animal
training and care classes and programs
for seniors, scouts and veterans. But their
dog park is on borrowed land, Buckley
said.
They invited council members to visit
the shelter to see what support the council
could provide, including assistance such
as snow plowing. Councilwomen Sheryl
Melick and Cindy Voss said they would
visit, though no specific plan was made.
“The shelter has grown in leaps and
bounds,” said former town supervisor
Susan Cockburn. “What about using the
Benedict Farm House? With its visibility,
you could keep rabies and distemper
down with vaccination programs there.
How about putting shelter animal photos
in the Government Center lobby?”
Town clerk Tara Stickles said she could
hang photos in the lobby.
“These aren’t just derelict animals,”
said Buckley. “They’re family pets. We
want space and exposure. We want the
shelter to be a landmark, a shining star.”
After the meeting, Buckley, Cooper, and
Cockburn discussed how the Benedict
Farm House could be repaired with
grant funds and used as offices for the
shelter and perhaps other nonprofits,
while outbuildings could be used to house
animals. Benedict Farm Park would then
become a place for programs and where
dogs could be exercised, and potential
adopters could get to know them.
“We have a line out the door on
weekends, and the trainer holds classes
in the driveway.” said Cooper.
“We’d like to focus more on education,”
said Buckley. And she noted that 20
minutes spent with a cat “makes a world
of difference for them.”
“The senior bus could bring people
to the park to walk dogs and sponsor
animals,” said Cockburn. “Montgomery
needs a reason to be a destination.”
The Benedict house has become a
source of controversy, as, for years, the
town failed to maintain it and make plans
for its use, despite its high visibility at
the entrance to Benedict Farm Park and
potential historic value.
“I’ll have to look into whether it’s an
option and whether it should be,” said
Town Supervisor Michael Hayes later,
referring to ideas about using the Benedict
house for shelter functions. “The shelter
is a separate, private entity with typical
growing business issues. We don’t qualify
for Community Development Block Grant
funds.”
He added that Voss and Melick would
visit the shelter and analyze the situation,
but he said he had “no timeline” for
addressing the situation.
Cockburn said later that she had been
invited to join the shelter’s board of
directors.
“I will be researching grants and
funding for them,” she said. “CDBG
is not the only funding resource. If I
were supervisor I would contact all the
franchises in our town and the county
as well for assistance funds and ideas.
I would look into the national Humane
Society, ASPCA, Purina, and all the other
animal interest groups. I’d contact state
and federal programs for directives and
guidance towards funding sources. Mike
Hayes quits before he starts. It’s all doable
with energy and initiative. As you can see,
the community is willing and able.”
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