02/11/2026
Real Talk Time
This is reality. Our reality and their reality. (It’s a long one, so buckle up.)
Our shelter is a safe haven. We know that when it comes to animal control facilities, ours is one of the best. We are so lucky to have a newer building, excellent volunteers, generous donors and the most supportive community we could ever ask for.
However, with all that said, this is not a place for any animal to call “home.” It should be a pit stop on their journey. It should be a place where they land, recover if they need to. Maybe they need to learn to trust humans again because they’ve been let down one too many times. We are happy we can provide a soft spot for them to land, but it’s simply not a place for any animal to stay long term.
We can dress them up and take silly pictures of them. We can take them outside and play with them. We can fill their bowls and bellies with food and treats. But their grim reality is 95% of their days are spent in their kennels. Four walls, all by themselves, every single day. Let that sink in.
We’ve shown you the happy version of these pups. The photos that are meant to capture your hearts. We hope we have.
But it’s time to be real. Those happy expressions fade over time. Because living in a kennel just isn’t something to smile about. Sure, some dogs handle it better than others. To some, these kennels are the safest and most comfortable place they’ve known in a while - or ever. But to most, these kennels take a critical physical and mental toll.
Our reality? We are frustrated. Frustrated that more dogs come in than go out.
We are sad. Sad that when we look on social media there are hundreds of other dogs just like ours in the same predicament without any hope in sight.
We are tired. Tired of the constant reminder that we are all these animals have and knowing there’s simply not enough hours in the day to give them the time they deserve.
We are losing hope. We are losing hope because it’s been so long since we have had a win. We just want to see a dog (or two or three) find a forever loving home.
We are scared. Scared because we know there’s only so much space, and only so much time.
We want for just once, to see more dogs go out than come in. We just want to see an empty kennel and be able to have a tiny moment of celebration (and relief.)
The bottom line is these are really good dogs. No, GREAT dogs. These are dogs that deserve a chance at a real life. Dogs that will give up if we don’t do something.
We understand that not everyone reading this is in a position to adopt or foster. But we do know everyone reading this is in a position to SHARE. Because your share could mean the difference between breathing new life into a dog or watching the sparkle fade from their eyes.
PLEASE SHARE. Please.
MIDDLETOWN ANIMAL CONTROL
(860)638-4030
Pictured are:
Luca 💙, Clifford 💚, Tank 🧡 and Opal 🤍
