The Waterford East Lyme Animal Control is a full service animal shelter. ~~~~~~~Important Information~~~~~~~
Welcome to the Waterford East Lyme Animal Control.
Location, Hours of Operation. Our hours are weekdays between 9 and 4 we CANNOT make appointments because we often get called out on the road to handle calls, we have to handle every animal call for 79 square miles of territory and there are only two ACO's handling the workload. If we are not at the shelter, call the WPD routine number 860-442-9451 and they can let you know our ETA back to the shel
ter. The Waterford facility has been permanently closed, we are now operating out of the New London Animal Shelter which is located in the rear of Bates Woods Park at 120 Chester Street New London. While we are sharing space in the New London facility, we are still separate agencies, New London personnel do not respond or handle calls in Waterford or East Lyme. Impounded animals. All animals impounded at the shelter must by law be advertised in the paper and held for 8 days, giving the owners the opportunity to claim their animal. In that time period we are observing the animals behavior and evaluating its adoption potential. Sadly due to liability issues, animals showing aggression for any reason WILL NOT be considered candidates for adoption. For the animals that are adoptable, interested parties should come to the animal shelter in person and meet the animal and the ACO, complete an adoption application that will be used to help us determine the best candidate for adopting the animal. NO ONE will be considered for an adoption candidate if you do not come to the shelter to meet the ACO and the animal. Most animal adoption fees are $50.00, and include a voucher from the State of Connecticut good for money off getting the animal fixed plus 2 free vaccinations. However, some animals are available for whatever you would like to make as a donation to the animal shelter. Wildlife. Wildlife concerns in the State are handled primarily by the State DEEP, they can be reached at 860-424-3011. The ONLY time we would become involved would be the suspicion of rabies, then as a public service a Police Officer or an ACO will respond to evaluate the animals behavior and symptoms, and if necessary, shoot and remove the animal. Any animal displaying aggression to humans or that appears "drunk" should be reported. Rabies is a neurological disease that affects the brain like alcohol, so any animal that is staggering, falling over, extremely wobbly such as a highly intoxicated person, should be reported. Wild animals that are attacked and killed by domestic dogs should be reported and may be tested at the UConn Health Lab at your expense. Sadly the State of Connecticut will no longer pay for rabies examinations for only and animal exposure. Please do not claim you think the animal is rabid just to get a response, because if the animal is not showing signs or symptoms of rabies, the animal will not be removed. We cannot come remove foxes, coyotes, fisher cats, bobcats or other predators just because you don't want them around. These predators have and will continue to kill and eat cats, chickens and small unattended dogs in this area, this is part of the circle of life and not something we can address. Please keep your cats indoors and go outside with your dogs, keep them close especially at dusk, dawn and night time. Skunks, although smelly, are another animal we cannot evict from your property unless they are displaying symptoms of rabies. You can contact a nuisance wildlife control company, they are in the phone book under pest control. If you see any animal that is injured, please contact the routine number and we will make an effort to assist the animal, some can be captured and taken to wildlife rehab facilities, others need to be humanely euthanized to ease their suffering, still others may be left alone for nature to take its course. Mange is another disease that affects some animals in this area. Mange is a skin parasite that makes the animals look very unhealthy, their fur falling out as they scratch and itch. This may cause a nocturnal animal to be out in the daylight because they are not hunting as well as they would and they are looking for food. Mange is not a symptom of rabies and we cannot come out and trap or shoot animals showing symptoms of mange. Again your concerns for these animals could possibly be addressed by DEEP or a nuisance wildlife control company. Cats. Sadly in the state of Connecticut, cats are not regulated like dogs are, there are no laws or statutes that allow us to collect "stray cats" off the street, and being a branch of the government we can't do much without a law that gives me the authority. There are numerous stray cat rescue groups run by private citizens, however, many of them are already full with other stray cats, another resource for stray cats would be the Connecticut Humane Society on Old Colchester Road in Quaker Hill. However, many cats travel for miles from where they live so it is possible that the cat you think is a stray may in fact belong to a neighbor three streets away. Donations. All monetary donations made to the animal shelter are tax deductible by law as we are a not for profit entity. Checks should be made payable to the Town of East Lyme and sent to Animal Control 41 Avery Lane Waterford Connecticut 06385. I will make sure the money is deposited into a dedicated account that can only be used by the animal shelter. Amazon wish list. An ongoing list of items needed by the animal shelter that you could purchase and have delivered for us! Thanks for all your help, the animal shelter operates almost exclusively on donations. https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1IAO2YISBEGEE/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1?_encoding=UTF8&type=wishlist
Thanks!!!
08/29/2024
This weekend is the annual circus at the crystal mall in Waterford, once again animal control has checked on the animal they will have there. These consist of dogs and ponies, all the animals appear to be healthy and well cared for, all have the appropriate vaccinations and vetting needed to travel across state lines.
08/29/2024
Introducing Meatball, he is a big boy, intact male American bulldog/ pitbull mix, he is about 80 pounds. He came to us from another animal control facility who was completely full, agencies routinely assist each other when full. Meatball would like a strong active owner who will be able to give him the training and structure he needs, he will need a home with no cats and no small children, he us willing to meet other dogs though, if you might be interested in meeting this handsome boy, send our page a Facebook private message and we will arrange a visit,
08/26/2024
Happy International Dog Day!
Last week Percy and some of his friends were invited to the Waterford Public library to have an ice cream social and celebrate getting ready to go back to school! Thank you to everyone who stopped by to say hi. Percy had a great time and we hope you did too!
We hope your able to join us for Coffee with a Cop on September 10 at the Waterford community center from 8:30-10.
08/24/2024
Edit, this is Louie, he is a senior fella, I’m told he is pushing 20! he has been redeemed and is back home where he belongs
Found Cat in Waterford
This handsome neutered male was found last night on Williams Street and was in need of some help. He is very emaciated and may have been on his own for sometime.
If you think you might know this cat or his owners, please give us a call at 860-442-9451 ext. 2 or send us a message on Facebook.edit,
08/23/2024
Found Dog in Waterford (near New London border)
This pretty girl was found on Pine Street in Waterford. She is quite sad that she can’t find her people. If you know this beautiful girl or her owners, please give us a call at 860-442-9451 ext. 2 and leave your name and phone number or send us a message on Facebook.
Please share so we can get her home as soon as possible. 
08/21/2024
Update, these dogs have gone home!!
These two pups were found roaming by the Niantic Bay Boathouse in Waterford no microchips or tags, im sure someone is missing these two, if you know where they belong, send us a message, these dogs are not available for adoption at this time
08/20/2024
Busy weekend for 6 lucky kittens. They are all off to their new homes, good luck kittens!
08/18/2024
update, this dog has been redeemed by its owner
Found Puppy
This little boy was found this afternoon taking himself for a walk down Avery Lane/Boston Post Road. If you own this dog or know the owner, please have them give us a call at 860-442-9451 extension 2 and leave a message with your name and phone number.
This dog is not currently available for adoption. Proof of ownership will be required to redeem.
08/17/2024
Found cat
This little girl was found today on Niantic River Road. If you are missing a female Siamese, please give us a call at 860-442-9451 extension 2 and leave a message with your name and phone number.
08/14/2024
we would love to thank all the people who brought us food recently, some of the names are listed here from our Amazon wish list, but not all of the deliveries had names, and some people just dropped off items, THANK YOU ALL! we could not do what we do without the very generous support of our citizens!!
thank you to:
Ann Torres
cindy kellerstedt
jessica
cheryl lincoln
leona
danielle
ruth Blanchette
derek watkins
and anyone else who donates to us, we thank you all!
08/13/2024
08/13/2024
Update on our kittens Smoky and Bandit, they are both now eating gruel from a bowl and have started using the litter box on their own, these kittens are not available for adoption at this time
08/12/2024
This cat was impounded at the apartments at 394 willetts ave in Waterford, it appeared healthy and friendly, however last night someone reported to the police that they had been bitten by the cat, now we are hoping to identify the owner and verify rabies shot information, if you recognize this cat please send us a private messag
08/11/2024
Well last night with the kittens went well, looks like bandit has mastered licking formula from a saucer, but smoky is still a fan of the bottle. They are both still requiring assistance in going to the bathroom, which is fun, mama cat uses her tongue to help them, we are not that dedicated so we use a wet paper towel. These kittens are not available for adoption at this time and honestly we are probably going to use the large pool of applications we are taking for the last batch of kittens when the time comes.
08/10/2024
And of course, our day would not be complete without bottle feeding kittens, these 2 were found in the engine compartment of a car. And yes, we know the b/w one has an eye infection, these kittens will be living with the aco’s for a few weeks while they graduate from bottle to food. We have named them Smoky and the Bandit as they were trying to smuggle themselves! These kittens are not available for adoption at this time
08/10/2024
Update, this dog is back home where he belongs,
Very handsome pup found roaming on Vauxhall st ext in Waterford. Has a microchip but I can’t get any info. If you know where this dog belongs, please let us know, this dog is not available for adoption at this time
08/08/2024
Update, these kittens have been adopted!!
So our first 7 appointments to meet kittens today resulted in 1 person being late and 2 people just not showing up at all. I cannot express how frustrating this is, we have over 100 people interested in these kittens, so much interest that we have closed the application process. Being late is not fair to the next person who has an appointment, not showing up at all, not communicating with us is simply unacceptable. Please remember that these kittens are not the only thing we are dealing with, we still have to handle every animal related call for service for 2 towns, almost 96 square miles. We are very very busy this time of year and it is extremely difficult to make these adoption visit appointments. If you make an appointment, please be on time, if something comes up and you can’t make it, please communicate with us. At this time we will not be rescheduling missed appointments. Thank you for understanding.
08/07/2024
Update, these kittens have been adopted!!
Update ! Important, due to the huge volume of people interested in these kittens, we will be closing the application process so we can get through the over 100 people who are interested. if you are already in communication with us through private messenger, we will fit you in, if you have not already been in communication with us, the process is now closed.
Holy cute kittens! We have a batch of six, yes six cute kittens that will soon be looking for new homes. 4 female, 2 male. These cuties are not ready to walk out the door yet, but they are ready to interview potential adopters, their adoption fee is $50.00 which includes a voucher from the state, good for money off getting them fixed plus 2 free vaccinations. If you might like to meet these kittens, send the page a private message and we will try to get you an appointment to come in, finding six names in a theme was a challenge, but here they are: Christopher, Winnie, Tigger, Eyore, Piglet and Owl! Of course these names can be changed by whomever adopts these cuties, we just give them names rather than calling them w-24-56, that's not a very good name at all. And as you all might be aware, there will be a LOT of interest in these cuties, if you make an appointment, please try to be prompt, it is very difficult for us to make appointments and being late may cause you to have to reschedule as it is not fair to the person who has an appointment after you.
08/07/2024
today, Percy and I got to teach a class to a wonderful group of students at the Sweet Serenity Humane Education camp, they learned all about what ACO's do and how we help the animals. the campers had some really great questions and as I expected, were much more excited to meet Percy than they were to hear what I had to say.
08/04/2024
08/03/2024
Update: these dogs are now home 
Found Dogs in Waterford
These four pups were found roaming over near the Waterford Country School on Hunts Brook Rd this evening.
If you recognize the dogs or know their owner, please give us a call at 860-442-9451 ext 2 and leave a message with your name and phone number.
Please share so we can get them home as soon as possible.
08/01/2024
Well our little Skippy has left the building! Good luck pup!
07/31/2024
Introducing Adrian, and yes you have to say it like Sylvester Stallone in Rocky. So, she is a 7-8 year old female Cane Corso, our girl here was found roaming and was never claimed, it is apparent that she has been bred many times and then when she became older, her previous owner discarded her on the side of the road. Adrian has not let that get her down, she remains a very sweet dog, she seems ok with other dogs, but will want to meet them first. She is a bit too interested in cats so she would like a new home with no cats or other small animals. Yesterday she had a bath, which is probably the first bath she has ever had, she really enjoyed it! And before people start telling us how awful we are for not getting her fixed, please know that spay surgery is very expensive and most vets are swamped with business, we are trying to work something out, but in the meantime I didn’t want to keep her in limbo, so she is going up for adoption, if you would like to meet Adrian, please send this page a private message and we will set something up
07/31/2024
good morning all, the animal shelter is in need of dry dog food, if anyone is out shopping and is feeling generous, we have had good luck with Pedigree brand, we are specifically looking for small size dog food. to be convenient, i have also added it to our amazon wish list.
thank you all, we could not do our jobs without the generosity and compassion of our fellow citizens!
07/28/2024
07/27/2024
Update: this dog is now home.
Found dog in Waterford
This handsome guy was found this afternoon on Clark Lane near the dog park. Unfortunately, he is not micro chipped. He is mostly white with brown markings, although you can only see the white on this photo. He was a little camera shy.
If you know this dog or his owner please give us a call at 860-442-9451 ext 2 and leave a message with your name and phone number. 
07/26/2024
Update, skippy has been adopted!!!
Update, due to overwhelming interest, the application period has closed, we will be sorting the applications and making a placement soon,
Introducing Skippy!
Skippy was found roaming in Waterford and never claimed by her owner. She has been with us for a few weeks now and is ready to find her forever home. We believe Skippy is around seven years old. Skippy also is a bit bowlegged so she has an interesting gait. This little dog just wants to be with you and to be held. She will make an excellent couch companion for somebody.
Skippy did fine meeting our resident cat and would be open to potential canine siblings but would prefer a house with no young children.
If you are interested in meeting Skippy, please send us a Facebook message.
07/25/2024
Percy got to visit the wonderful ladies in the clerks office at the courthouse today. Showing off his new badge.
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Videos
Boomer
NORI went to the vet this morning, got his nails trimmed, urinalysis test done anda rabies shot. He is a whopping 90 pounds so he deffinately needs to lose weight, vet suggested 20 pounds! He has some medications to help with his incontinence and we are hoping for improvement. As you can see, he had a lot to say about his visit! Sadly, we also got some bad news, the vet thinks his difficulties walking are due to neuroligical issues. There is not much that can be done for that, losing weight would help a bit, but this is a struggle he will have to deal with. This vet visit and medications were paid for through our donation funds, which allow us to provide care to the animals above and beyond what the towns would concider acceptable. Without these funds, dogs like Nori would NOT get care and medications like this. If you would like to contribute to Nori's vet fund, you can do it one of three ways. You can stop bt the animal shelter with cash or check payable to waterford animal hospital. You can stop by waterford animal hospital at 14 Miner Lane waterford and contribute directly to our donation account, or you can call them at 860-443-1893 and donate with a credit card. We cannot do this great work without help from wonderful people like you. Every donation large or small helps dogs just like Nori. Please share his photo and lets find him a home, he really is a great dig and he deserves a place to live out his days.
Well its not as majestic as the swan rescue yesterday, but today i had to outsmart this tiny bird to capture him and remove him from a house!
Exciting news to report, after 150 days at the shelter, Coco has gone off to his new home. Almost 5 months, we never gave up on you buddy! We knew your home was out there!
Meet Uno! He is a tiny baby snapping turtle. Picked him up at the duck pond site. As you might have noticed, the town has installed animal exclusion fencing to try to keep turtles out of the roadway. There is a huge electronic sign warning people to slow down. Our plan is to hold any turtles we gather in tanks and then put them back in the pond once the project is completed
Today I was called to a new construction house where a fairly large snapping turtle was digging up the lawn, I explained that she was laying her eggs and had been doing this for many years, way before there was a house here. After she laid her eggs, I helped her back across the street to the pond. While she did not appreciate my assistance, at least she didn't have to play frogger today.
Ahh jaywalking black snakes! They don't use crosswalks, they don't look both ways, they go sooooo slooooowly. Sometimes we stop to help them along, if we can do it safely. These guys are super good for the environment!
Black snake
Had some help doing chores in my yard this evening. Keeping me safe from rodents.
Snow day
Update, Penny has been adopted!
Update, Arlo has been adopted!
Penny and Arlo had their post surgery exams and both are doing fine. They are ready to meet potential families. Scroll back to see other photos and information. If you think you would like to meet them give us a private message.
Penny loves to play ball!
Update, Penny has been adopted!
Miss PENNY is hoping to meet potential families in her search for a good life. Sadly she will need to be an only dog, and she would prefer not to live with cats. She is about 4 -5 years old, she us already spayed and us up to date on her rabies shots. If you are interested in meeting her, send us a Facebook message. Please share her story.
Arlo racin
Update, Arlo has been adopted!
Well ARLO is all healed from his neutering, he us ready to meet potential new families. He is about 2-3 years old, he does need a family who will take the time to help him learn to be a good dog, he will need some positive reinforcement to work on housebreaking, I know we initially said he needed to be an only dog but the more we observe, the more I think he would be ok with meeting other pack members. Send us a Facebook message if you would like to meet him. Please share this post so we can find him a great home
TUGGER the ball of energy!
Update: Tugger has been adopted!
I know it's late, we have been very busy but I wanted to share a video of TUGGER, he is a young intact male husky/pit mix, he has alit of energy and not very many manners. He is looking for a new owner who is active and can give him lots of structure and excercize. He won't like to live with small children as he will certainly knock them over. If you are interested in meeting TUGGER, please send us a message on this page. Please share his story so we can find him a new home
Turtle crossings!
Well it's that time of year again, turtle crossings! Please be on the lookout for these slow turtle pedestrians. They don't dart out in front of your cars, please give them a brake. Also if you should stop your car to try and help them, please donut safely. Getting hit or causing an accident is not a good way to end your day.
~~~~~~~Important Information~~~~~~~
Welcome to the Waterford East Lyme Animal Control.
Location, Hours of Operation.
The Waterford East Lyme Animal Control Facility in Waterford has been closed down, our agency is currently sharing kennel space at the New London Animal Control Facility located in Bates Woods Park on Chester Street in New London.
Our hours of operation are weekdays between 8 and 4, office hours between 9 and 3. We CANNOT make appointments because we often get called out on the road to handle calls, We have to handle every animal call for 79 square miles of territory and there is only one ACO handling the workload. If you wish to meet an adoptable animal, stop by the shelter, if someone is not at the shelter, call the WPD routine number 860-442-9451 and they can let you know our ETA back to the shelter.
Impounded animals.
All animals impounded at the shelter must by law be advertised in the paper and held for 8 days, giving the owners the opportunity to claim their animal, in that time period, we are observing the animals behavior and evaluating its adoption potential. Sadly due to liability issues, animals showing aggression for any reason may not be considered candidates for adoption. For the animals that are adoptable, interested parties should come to the animal shelter in person and meet the animal and the ACO, complete an adoption application that will be used to help us determine the best candidate for adopting the animal. NO ONE will be considered for an adoption candidate if you do not come to the shelter to meet the ACO and the animal. Most animal adoption fees are $50.00, and include a voucher from the State of Connecticut good for money off getting the animal fixed plus 2 free vaccinations. however, some animals are available for whatever you would like to make as a monetary donation to the animal shelter.
Wildlife.
Wildlife concerns in the State are handled primarily by the State DEEP, they can be reached at 860-424-3011. the ONLY time we would become involved would be the suspicion of rabies, then as a public service an officer or myself will respond to evaluate the animals behavior and symptoms, and if necessary, shoot and remove the animal. Any animal displaying aggression to humans or that appears "drunk" should be reported. Rabies affects the brain like alcohol, so any animal that is staggering, falling over, extremely wobbly such as a highly intoxicated person, should be reported. wild animals that are attacked and killed by domestic dogs should be reported and tested at the State Rabies Lab. We cannot come remove foxes, coyotes, fisher cats, bobcats or other predators just because you don't want them around. these predators have and will continue to kill and eat small animals in this area, this is part of the circle of life and not something we can address. Please keep your cats indoors and go outside with your dogs, keep them close especially at dusk, dawn and night time. Skunks, although smelly, are another animal we cannot evict from your property unless they are displaying symptoms of rabies. You can contact a nuisance wildlife control company, they are in the phone book under pest control. If you see any animal that is injured, please contact the routine number and we will make an effort to assist the animal, some can be captured and taken to wildlife rehab facilities, others need to be humanely euthanized to ease their suffering, still others may be left alone for nature to take its course. Mange is another disease that affects some animals in this area, Mange is a skin parasite that makes the animals look very unhealthy, with their fur falling out as they scratch and itch. This may cause a nocturnal animal to be out in the daylight because they are not hunting as well as they would and they are looking for food. Mange is not a symptom of rabies and we cannot come out and trap or shoot animals showing symptoms of mange. again your concerns for these animals could possibly be addressed by DEEP or a nuisance wildlife control company.
Cats.
Sadly in the state of Connecticut, cats are not regulated like dogs are, there are no laws or statutes that allow me to collect "stray cats" off the street, and being a branch of the government we cant do much without a law that gives us the authority, There are numerous stray cat rescue groups run by private citizens, however, many of them are already full with other stray cats, another recourse for stray cats would be the Connecticut Humane Society on Old Colchester road in Quaker Hill, however, many cats travel for miles from where they live so it is possible that the cat you think is a stray may in fact belong to a neighbor several streets away.
Donations.
all monetary donations made to the animal shelter should be made in the form of checks should be made payable to the Town of East Lyme or for our emergency medical veterinary fund, made payable to Goodfriends Vet Hospital and sent to Animal Control 41 Avery Lane Waterford Connecticut 06385. We will make sure the money is deposited into a dedicated account that can only be used by the animal shelter.
Amazon wish list.
an ongoing list of items needed by the animal shelter that you could purchase and have delivered for us! thanks for all your help, the animal shelter operates almost exclusively on donations. If you go to Amazon.com and search for wish list of East Lyme Animal Control you will find the link. Additionally donations of supplies can be dropped off at the animal shelter or the lobby of the Waterford Police Department.
Thank you all very much! without your support we would not be able to help the animals as much as we do.