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New Animal Rescue Organization in Chester Steps In During Pandemic

When state travel restrictions and safety protocols were put into place last March due to COVID-19, they not only affected people, but animals in need of adoption as well. For the Valley Shore Animal Welfare League (VSAWL) in Westbrook, the pandemic halted its intake of animals, which typically come from southern states with high rates of animal euthanization.

“For a couple of months, we just ground to a halt,” said Lisa Dorsey, who is president of VSAWL’s board of directors.

VSAWL operates as a shelter with limited staffing, relying mostly on volunteer support to help care for animals, mostly dogs and cats, and to help people adopt animals.

“We’re just the way station, and part of being the way station means there is a lot of coming and going, and that had to stop,” said Dorsey, who added that VSAWL is now open by appointment.

With many animal shelters like VSAWL and rescue organizations in the state shut down last March due to the pandemic, Hannah Watkins of Chester, who was looking for a dog to adopt, saw the need and stepped in.

Last March, she created Sunshine Rescue, a rescue organization in Chester. It is currently working toward certification as a 501c3 nonprofit.

“It’s pretty much the one-year anniversary,” said Watkins, speaking by phone a week ago. “That was not intentional. It just kind of happened that way.”

Approved as an adopter by numerous rescue organizations, the dogs Watkins saw posted online for adoption were going quickly last March.

“They kept getting adopted the day after they were posted online, which is what is happening to people right now,” said Watkins.

Out of frustration with the lack of availability and awareness of the high kill rate in southern states, Watkins made a decision to help a litter of puppies, and their mother, Sky.

“I keep watching these animals die in all these other states, so I saw these puppies in trouble in Mississippi and I was like, ‘You know what? I’m just going to bring them up here with my own money and I’ll adopt one myself and I’ll find homes for the others and that will be that.’ That was my plan, that was it,” said Watkins.

The process went so smoothly with the first litter that Watkins did it again, and from there, “it just grew really fast,” she said.

Working solo for a while at the start, Watkins now has numerous volunteers and fosters for the animals. She also has a board of directors, which is a necessary requirement to establish a 501c3.

“It’s a big group at this point,” she said. “It’s been a wild ride, but it’s been beautiful.”

Watkins has found homes for more than 350 animals, mostly dogs, but cats as well, since last March.

She says adopting an animal during the pandemic can be beneficial, easing the social isolation that comes with sheltering at home and having more time to work with animals that need training, like puppies.

“A lot of people that I’ve talked to had the idea of, ‘Oh we’re home, we have time to raise and train a puppy’ because a lot of work goes into house training and teaching basic commands and all of that,” said Watkins. “There is a lot of work that goes with a puppy.”

Those adopting from Sunshine Rescue go through a rigorous screening and application process to help ensure that the home is a good fit to care for the animal.

“We always ask in the application process: ‘So, what’s your work schedule like? How long will the puppy be alone? What’s it going to be like when COVID is over, or when you go back to normal working hours?’” said Watkins.

As the state is now lifting COVID-19 restrictions and new pet owners return to work, dog trainers are seeing an increase in demand for their services.

“It’s definitely now a big uptick for us in the dog training industry, where a lot of dogs are having many issues,” said Janice Liscinsky, owner of The Perfect Pup, a dog training facility in Deep River.

Socialization is an important aspect of training that many owners have not been able to provide their animal during the pandemic, as well as being out and about in public spaces, according to Liscinsky.

“So, there is a lot of anxiety right now in the dogs because they don’t get to do things that they normally would do,” said Liscinsky. “Now that things are loosening up, hopefully it will be a little bit better, but with the lockdown, you couldn’t go anywhere with your dog.

“Your dog didn’t see a shopping center parking lot, push carts, and walking up and down the street with cars and trucks going by. So, we’ve got a lot of that going on right now,” she continued.

Liscinsky offers a myriad of training programs for dogs including a puppy group class for socialization, obedience training, and sessions for walking dogs in public spaces, among others. She also recently opened a second facility, which has high ceilings for agility training.

Liscinsky says that new pet owners should consider “how important training really truly is for your dog regardless of a dog’s age.”

Prior to adopting a pet, Dorsey of VSAWL asks people to think long term about it.

“We all have animals because they are an enormous comfort to us,” said Dorsey. “We all know why they are wonderful, helping with anxiety, depression…but really, we’re in the part of the business where they become unwanted.

“I always say, think about them like children. Think long term,” she added. “You’re not getting something, you’re becoming something. You’re becoming…a dog owner, a cat owner. It’s changing who you are, so live up to it.”