Ledyard C.H.A.I.N. to host appreciation day for animal control office
Ledyard — For the second time in three years, Ledyard C.H.A.I.N. on Saturday is hosting a Ledyard Animal Control Appreciation Day.
"We're doing this to let the community know that we have a very special animal control office," said Cindy Eilenberger, co-founder of C.H.A.I.N., or Citizens Helping Animals in Need. "Our two ladies just go above and beyond, and they get so little recognition."
The event, hosted at Alice Acres in Gales Ferry from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., will double as one of C.H.A.I.N.'s many fundraisers for the animal control office. Proceeds from T-shirts, paper crafts, plush pet toys, recycled furniture and various other goods available at the event will help Ledyard Animal Control purchase preventative medications for things such as fleas, ticks and heartworms.
There will be presentations and hands-on activities, too — from a craft table where kids can make pet toys to a dog agility demonstration led by Marge Lineweber of My Dog's Place — and Cows and Cones will be open for those who want to grab a bite to eat.
Eilenberger hopes the event, open to all, brings in residents who've adopted from or have been helped by Ledyard Animal Control in the past and inspires those who are considering adopting. All are welcome to bring their pets to Alice Acres for the day.
"Our community is very drawn to being able to help the animals in it," Eilenberger said. "All I have to do is say, 'We need...' and everybody comes forward."
She and three others formed C.H.A.I.N. in late 2013 after recognizing that sometimes the local animal control had needs, but little to no way to fund them. It became a 501(c)(3) shortly afterward.
Already, C.H.A.I.N., with seven board members and countless volunteers — "our members are our community," Eilenberger said — has provided Ledyard Animal Control's shelter with hundreds of pounds of food, helped pay for surgeries for several dogs, supplied pet food to Meals on Wheels clients who have pets and donated more than 100 animal-related activity books to Gallup Hill School.
"We've been able to fill in a few little holes they wouldn't be able to do otherwise," Eilenberger said. "It's going well."
The group doesn't want to stop there. In the future, Eilenberger said she would like to see all pets that need medical attention to be able to get it. She even has a dream of opening up a pet food bank.
"There's so many people who can't keep their pets because they can't afford their medical care or food," Eilenberger said.
In the meantime, though, they want to do what they can to keep Ledyard Animal Control fully functioning in the area, and hope to make the appreciation day an annual event.
"It's important to make sure our town realizes how much our community stands behind" Ledyard Animal Control, Eilenberger said. "This is a way to say, 'Hey, we really care about them and we really hope they can stay.'"
l.boyle@theday.com
Twitter: @LindsayABoyle
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