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!!!
11/09/2024
Found kitten in Waterford
This little kitten was found outside of Longhorn Steakhouse a couple nights ago. While I did go out and look for other kittens we were unsuccessful in our search. She is about three weeks old and way too young to be without a mother and out on her own, so we will be making sure she is eating and take care of her other needs as well. If anyone knows where the rest of the litter is or if anyone witnessed somebody dropping this little one off at Longhorn the other night, please give us a call with any details you may have. 860-442-9451 ext. 2 please leave a message with your name and phone number.
11/08/2024
Introducing Mama Spice!
Mama Spice came to us when the facility that originally had her was no longer able to care for her. Spice is probably around five years of age, already spayed, up-to-date on vaccines and tested negative for FeLV/FIV.
She came to us with a pr*****ed nictitan, pr*****ed third eyelid. We brought her to our veterinarian to get their professional opinion on what could/should be done with her. As of right now, she does not appear to be in pain and is not scratching at her eye therefore should not need surgery. Mama Spice is an incredibly sweet kitty that loves to be scratched on her head, but because she cannot see out of that eye she gets a little nervous if you approach her from that side. She would do best in a home without younger children, that might not understand this. She also did very well with our resident shelter cat and Percy so could potentially go to a home with another cat or calm dog. 
If you were interested in meeting Mama Spice please send us a Facebook message or give us a call at 860-442-9451 ext. 2 and leave a message with your name and phone number.
This incredibly sweet cat may be a little different but she deserves an amazing home!
11/07/2024
Today is a good day, the mama cat of the last batch of kittens we has has been adopted!
11/05/2024
All the kittens have been adopted! Good luck kittens
11/03/2024
Found Kitten in Waterford
This little girl was found the other night on Avery Lane in Waterford. If this is your kitten or you know the owner, please send us a Facebook message or give us a call at 860-442-9451 ext. 2 and leave a message with your name and phone number. Although this little kitten was found alone, if you live in the area of Avery Lane, please keep an eye out for others.
This kitty is not currently available for adoption.
11/02/2024
10/31/2024
happy Halloween from all the dogs and cats at the shelter, please remember this is a scary night for your dogs too, with people coming to your door, may cause anxiety for your pups, please secure your dogs in a separate room while trich or treaters are coming by we want to avoid any escapes or other incidents tonight.
10/30/2024
we are so very happy for you NANA!! have the best life in your new home!!
As some of you guessed, Nana is excited to announce that after 1323 days (and gaining 10 pounds) of living here at the shelter, SHE HAS BEEN ADOPTED!
And that's all this ACO can post, because I'm legit crying.
10/29/2024
update, this pup is back home where she belongs,
This pup was found roaming on rte 156 in East Lyme, no tags or microchip, does anyone recognize? This dog is not available for adoption at this time
10/27/2024
Update: Dog is home.
Lost Dog in East Lyme
Please call East Lyme nonemergency police number at 860-739-5900 with any sightings.
Send a message to learn more
10/26/2024
update, this pup is back home!
Found dog in Waterford
This little lady was picked up this afternoon near Lathrop Rd./Green Hills Rd, not far from the Montville border. She is microchipped however, the information is not current. If this is your dog, please give us a call back at 860-442-9451 ext. 2 and leave a message with your name and phone number. You can also Facebook messenge us.
This dog is not available for adoption at this time. 
10/24/2024
Huge shout out to Bouvier Insurance for thinking about us here at animal control. They did some fundraising and purchased us some supplies, including some much needed animal traps! Thank you all very very much! They also got a nice visit with PERCY!
10/23/2024
the bleach we use to clean the kennels is very harsh on our spray bottles, we now find ourselves in need of more spray bottles, the industrial strength ones last the longest, if anyone is interested in helping us out by purchasing one, that would be greatly appreciated, also put some on our amazon wish list, thank you all !!! https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1IAO2YISBEGEE?ref_=wl_share
10/23/2024
Introducing Oakley, she is a 5ish year old American Bulldog, she was found roaming and never claimed by her owners. We gave been working with her to make her ready for her debut, so here she is, in all her glory. Oakley is a big girl, pushing 80 pounds, she will need an owner strong enough to hold her leash and one who is active and knowledgeable of large breeds, she would not like to live in a home with cats as they are just too tempting to chase, Oakley will most certainly knock over small children but thinks older kids would be ok. She seems good with other dogs but would like to meet them first before choosing her new home, she has her rabies shot but she is still intact so her adoption fee is $50.00 which includes a voucher from the state good for $ off getting her spayed and 2 vaccinations. If you might like to meet this pup, send this page a private message,
10/20/2024
update, this dog is back home where he belongs
Found Dog in Waterford
This handsome senior was found late this afternoon in the pleasure beach area of Waterford. While he does have a microchip, unfortunately it was never registered. If you are missing this handsome fella or know where he belongs, please give us a call at 860-442-9451 ext 2 and leave a message with your name and phone number or send us a Facebook message.
*This is also an excellent reminder to please have your microchip checked, we would be happy to scan your dog for you and write down the number, you can then call the microchip company to make sure your information is up-to-date.*
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Contact The Business
Send a message to Waterford-East Lyme Animal Control:
Videos
Boomer
Update: Boomer has been adopted!
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.
~~~~~~~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.
