DAC Teetering on the Edge

Last night the Bethany Board of Selectmen opened their meeting to area veterinarians to discuss the future of animal control in Bethany. With District Animal Control on the verge of collapse, the town is considering several options, and veterinarians Kim McClure Brinton as well as Brian Laubstein, who is on the DAC board, weighed in with their opinions.

Currently, Orange is planning to withdraw from the struggling district, and Bethany is in line to follow suit.  If Orange leaves and turns over their animal control needs to Milford, as expected, Bethany could not afford to pick up the additional expenses of running the Woodbridge animal shelter. According to First Selectman Derrylyn Gorski, the price would escalate to about $70,000.

There are several options for Bethany if Orange withdraws on July 1. Woodbridge could reduce their price for the service low enough that it still works with the $43,000 approved for the Bethany budget, in which case the town could stay with the district. 

Another option for Bethany is to hire a part-time animal control officer who would also be available on-call. Kennel space would be rented from private facilities in town and the entire program would be run under the auspices of Resident State Trooper David Merriam. All in attendance agreed it would take effort to put the program together, but it would be the most cost-effective option.

The Milford Orange Bulletin has detailed the proposal Woodbridge has submitted to Orange and Bethany in hopes of holding together the disintegrating district. The next few weeks will determine the future of DAC, if it still has one.