Stamford Animal Shelter Alliance

04/17/2026

Today the concrete flooring for the dog runs was poured and things are taking shape nicely! Loved how much sun hits the new building and the views out back are sublime! We will continue to document the construction progress - the contractors are aiming to be finished by the end of the year! 🐾🚜👷‍♀️

01/16/2026

Construction on the new shelter is well under way and a few of our board members got a tour of the construction site today! In a few weeks the concrete slab will get poured! Today we could see the footprint and room dimensions and how it looks overall on the site which was exciting! There will great parking in front and so much room in the back for the outdoor dog runs!

11/05/2025

Upon further research, it appears that the substance of the ordinance being voted on at Wednesday night's Board of Representatives meeting - which bans the sale of cats and dogs in Stamford's retail pet shops - had already been presented to Stamford's Corporation Counsel (city lawyers) back in 2019 for an opinion on its legality; at that time, the Corporation Counsel's opinion unequivocally stated that such an ordinance was not legal as a municipality's laws could not directly contradict what is allowed under state law. During this past legislation session, state lawmakers, including members of the Stamford delegation, recognizing the importance of such a ban, sponsored a law that WOULD allow municipalities such as Stamford to ban the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits; unfortunately, the bill didn't make it out of the legislative session. So we are between a rock and a hard place. While SASA strongly wants to see this ban enacted, it is inadvisable to simply ignore the opinion of the city's lawyers. It is our hope that our local elected officials will put their efforts into advocacy at the state level to get the state bill taken up again in the next session instead of voting on an ordinance that has been determined to be unlawful. On a positive note, last year, the Stamford Zoning Board did approve changes to the zoning regulations for pet shops, restricting the location where any new retail pet stores can operate to less desirable areas and instituting permit requirements so there has been some steps in the right direction to curb the retail sale of dogs and cats. We are hopeful that the state will ultimately pave the way for this ban to be enacted not just in Stamford, but across the state, as has been done in many states across the country.

11/02/2025

Repost from one of our followers (h/t Valerie DeVito)

The sale of puppies, kittens & bunnies in “pet stores”has always been a horrible practice. The mills that produce (they are literally breeding factories) “pets” are places of suffering. Let’s end it! Send an email to the Board of Reps at [email protected] and join in person on Wednesday 11/5 at 8:00 at the Government Center 888 Washington Blvd 4th floor.

California has already done this and CT can be next with Stamford being the role model!!

10/16/2025

It was a beautiful day to break ground on the new animal shelter yesterday. Mayor Caroline Simmons, Director of Operations Matt Quinones, Animal Control Manager Tilford Cobb and SASA Board President Nancy Freedman all gave remarks on the journey over the past 10 years (and more!) to get to this momentous occasion and how our new shelter will provide a less stressful environment for our lost and homeless animal population as well a bright and welcoming facility for the staff, volunteers and community at large. We want to once again thank everyone who has tirelessly worked to make this happen. As construction progresses we will be posting updates and information here.

Our current shelter is fully operational during construction, which is happening at the rear of the Magee Avenue site, and is full of adoptable dogs and cats-if you’re looking for a new member of your family please stop by.

10/14/2025

IT’S HERE!!!!

Join us tomorrow, Wednesday, October 15th at 2:00pm, when we break ground on the NEW Animal Shelter! After many years of research, planning, fundraising and advocacy before city boards to obtain the capital appropriations, the day has finally arrived!

Our Stamford Animal Shelter Alliance (SASA) Board members led by Board President Nancy Freedman, along with Mayor Caroline Simmons, Director of Operations Matt Quinones, the staff of the Stamford Animal Control and Care Center, led by Animal Control Officer/Manager Tilford Cobb, City Engineer Lyudmila F**s and other City Officials will dig into our new waterfront site (right behind the existing shelter).

This day would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of the members (past and present) of SASA, the Mayor’s office, City Engineer Lou Casolo, Warren Freedenfeld and Eric Nelson from the architectural firm of Rauhaus, Freedenfeld & Associates, Stamford’s city board members who voted in favor of this capital project and the countless volunteers who have cared for and loved the sheltered animals of our city for years!

Thank you to everyone who has made this day possible.

08/19/2025

02/22/2025

One of the many hats Animal Control Manager Tilford Cobb wears is champion of community outreach. Earlier this week he addressed over 140 students at Westhill High School’s AG Science program. Some of the many topics he covered were:

*The responsibilities of being an Animal Control Officer and what the shelter does such as aiding the public and the Stamford Police Department with roaming dogs

*Enforcing leash laws and licensing

*ensuring pets are up to date with vaccinations and educating the public on the importance of vaccinations

*capturing and providing medical assistance to injured wildlife (with the help of local rescue organizations)

*Assisting with feral cat complaints and ensuring they are being neutered/spayed as well as capturing injured cats and providing medical assistance.

*Informing the City of safety and awareness of mating seasons of animals such as coyotes.

*Investigating calls concerning possible animal neglect and possible hoarding of animals

*and of course, promoting awareness of animals at the shelter and how to adopt them.

Just think…very VERY soon we will have a beautiful community room at the new shelter where conversations like these can happen more often for the people of Stamford!

02/22/2025

One of the many hats Animal Control Manager Tilford Cobb wears is champion of community outreach. Not long ago, he addressed over 140 students at Westhill High School’s AG Science program. Some of the many topics he covered were:

*The responsibilities of being an Animal Control Officer and what the shelter does such as aiding the public and the Stamford Police Department with roaming dogs.

*Enforcement of leash laws, licensing and up to date vaccinations and the importance of vaccinationsg your pets.

*The capture and provision of medical assistance to injured wildlife (with the help of local rescue organizations)

*Assisting with feral cat complaints and ensuring they are being neutered/spayed as well as capturing injured cats and providing medical assistance.

*Informing the City of safety and awareness of mating seasons of animals such as coyotes.

*Investigate calls concerning possible animal neglect , possible hoarding of animals and of course, promoting awareness of animals at the shelter and how to adopt them.

Just think…very VERY soon we will have a beautiful community room at the new shelter where conversations like these can happen more often for the people of Stamford!

02/20/2025

Frigid cold temps and a biting wind didn't stop a large group of general contractors from attending today's mandatory walk-through for all interested in bidding on the construction of the new shelter! People were parked up and down Magee Avenue! The site has been cleared and you can really get a sense of how the new building will look at the back of the Magee Avenue property, overlooking the canal. Important day!! Stamford Animal Control & Care Center