Staff Note: On August 29, prior to the Sept. 1 start of North Branford beginning a new animal control and shelter services agreement with the Town of East Haven, the following farewell note was posted at 5:30 p.m. on Facebook by Branford’s Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter, which had provided services to the Town of North Branford since 2005:

“Good Evening and Goodbye to our North Branford Friends!

Good evening North Branford [NB] Friends! Every year we have been with you, there have been so many things we’ve learned! We have so many awesome experiences together, so many memories!

Starting on Sept. 1, our animal shelter will no longer be serving you. Kenneling dogs has only been such a small piece of what we have done for residents. We have enjoyed serving you over many years that we’ve been together. We’ve always appreciated the relationship with you all! Your children have grown up with us...and not only that but we have watched your many animals grow up too!

We have had every different type of roaming animal species come into our shelter from NB...barn animals such as sheep, chicken, alpacas to Guinea pigs, hamsters, cats and dogs! Every single day, we knew we’d pick up unique animals in NB!

To summarize, over the many years we have worked together, The Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter assisted the North Branford residents in many unique ways (beyond what a “normal” animal control department would do) by educating and helping them to gain knowledge about wildlife (and capturing hurt and sick wild animals); helping those who were going through hardships by providing and paying for medical care for their animals in need so they could keep them in their homes and not give them away; we have provided our North Branford residents with pet foods by delivering them to their homes and provided other necessary items when residents were sick with things like cancer; and we’ve housed their animals while they were in the hospital, etc. We have taken in your owner releases of cats, dogs, ducks, sheep, pigs, hamsters, bunnies, and the lists go on and on!

We have also had so many of your children volunteer and your students looking to gain college credits for internships, etc., through our shelter! We have enjoyed and appreciated it all!

Starting Sept. 1, 2023, please contact East Haven Animal Control for all animal control and sheltering, owner releasing of animals, hurt or distressed wildlife, volunteering, animal medical, and other needs at 203-468-3249. If you have questions about anything, please contact the town manager at townmanager@townofnorthbranfordct.com or by calling 203-484-6000.

We wish you all well and the best of luck on your future endeavors.”