NORTH HAVEN

The Animal Haven shelter in North Haven will begin holding open houses of its facilities on the first Saturday of every month from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., according to Maria Carafano, the organization’s vice chair.

“We’ve already had three trials, and they were so successful,” she said.

These open houses provide the opportunity for the public to visit the shelter, view its facilities, and meet its dogs and cats. They also strike a healthy balance of public visitation, specifically for the animals currently living there, said Carfano.

“We used to, years ago, be open all the time,” she said. “If you’re open all the time—if you could imagine people traipsing through your house and looking at you—that’s how the animals feel, and they get really stressed out.”

Carafano added that the shelter’s “primary concern” is ensuring the health of its animals and making sure that they are not overwhelmed by large groups of people who are frequently visiting.

The vice chair said that new staff and volunteers at Animal Haven have been “more receptive” to visitors at the shelter for the open houses in post-pandemic times, but she added that it is also “a good idea to let the public know we are there for them.”

During the open houses, the public will be able to step inside the cat rooms and socialize with the felines, play with their dogs in an open pen, and visit the medical room used for treating the animals. Historical information about the shelter is also given to open house attendees.

“We’ve been there for 75 years, we’re a no-kill shelter, we’re run by a board of directors,” said Carafano. “We also talk to them about needs.”

Those needs include the donations given by the public which have helped to fulfill the resources and capacity necessary for the shelter to run, said Carafano. From assisting with veterinarian bills to food needed for the animals, she said the generosity of the public has been “completely overwhelming.”

Carafano also said that the shelter educates the public about the process through which potential adopters must agree when wishing to bring home a cat or dog. This includes a “strict, stringent application process because we don't want returns because that's too traumatic for the animals.”

“The more we can tell the public while they’re there, it creates a better balance,” she added. “They know where we're coming from.”

For younger cats and dogs, adopters who have their applications approved may need to wait for some time before bringing their new pets home to make sure they are fully vetted, vaccinated, neutered, and spayed, said Carfano.

“We want you to get a healthy, happy animal that you're not going to have to worry about other than to love it until its next vet visit comes up,” she said.

Overall, Carafano said that the shelter is in “really good shape.” For its over 130 animals, there are up to 75 volunteers who work to keep the shelter and its animals in good condition. It’s a group of people who are integral to Animal Haven’s operation.

“Our volunteers are our core. They’re volunteers that walk dogs, they’re volunteers that clean kennels, they're volunteers...[who] socialize feral cats,” she said.

While the shelter is looking for volunteers, Carafano said there are multiple ways to help support Animal Haven. Donations can be sent when visiting the shelter’s website, theanimalhavenct.org; or through their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/theanimalhaven.

“We love gift certificates to Amazon or Chewy because that enables us to buy the specific foods that we want to buy,” said Carafano. “If you have things at home, like blankets and towels and linens that are in relatively good shape, but you're not using them anymore, you can bring those. If, unfortunately, people lose a pet, they want to bring in their cat trees or dog leashes, you can do that.”

These items can be brought to a large donation box located outside of the shelter. A time for donation can be set up for those who may want a receipt for their gift.

Carafano again thanked the public for its continued support and donations to Animal Haven, which is continuing its “75 years strong” longevity to rescue pets and find them their forever homes.