Newtown Businessman Has Become A Dog’s Best Friend

By Dottie Evans

Matt DeAngelis, six-year Sandy Hook resident and new owner of Yankee Discount Liquors, is a dog’s best friend in the most profound sense of the word.

In a way, he is their last friend because he’s the one who never gives up on them.

Mr DeAngelis has dedicated himself to helping dogs languishing in area animal shelters, dogs that have not been adopted by new families.

He works with a network of caring individuals at the shelters and is in contact with trusted veterinarians and animal control people. He keeps track of the dogs that are passed by, and he gets to know them.

The unfortunate fact is, not every animal shelter has a no-kill policy. When a dog’s time is up and the clock is ticking toward euthanasia, Mr DeAngelis often steps in. He may find another shelter for that dog, or take it into his own home, until another can be found. Or he will assist in the rescue of an abused or abandoned dog and see that it is brought to a shelter.

“We’ve got a fabric of people. The word travels fast within the rescue community. We hear about the cruelty cases,” Mr DeAngelis said.

Four years ago, he established the DeAngelis Family Foundation for the purpose of helping the shelters feed and house homeless dogs. Two groups he works with are the Animal Shelter Assistance Program in Bridgeport, and Pets and Live Animal Sanctuary in New York.

Several dogs he has fostered are being boarded at Dogwood Boarding Kennels and Cattery off Route 25 just over the Newtown line in Monroe. The Dogwood Kennel is owned and managed by Lee Gourley, and it maintains a no-kill policy.

“Lee is a sap just like us. She loves dogs, and she gets stuck with the ones whose owners don’t pay their bills,” he added.

Dogwood Kennel also has a trainer named Rob Mullins who offers free obedience instruction for families that adopt. Mr DeAngelis calls him amazing. “He’s got unbelievable training skills,” he said during an interview at the kennel on February 9.

Dogs That Proved Irresistible

Mr DeAngelis and his wife, Ingrid, who grew up in Monroe, sometimes take dogs home on a temporary basis when the shelters do not have room. This gives them a chance to get to know the dog and hopefully to match it with the right new family.

“I’ve seen a lot of different dogs, and we are very careful about who that dog ends up with. You can always tell a dog person. I believe you can tell someone’s character by the way they treat their dogs,” he said.

Working as an advertising executive until five years ago, Mr DeAngelis said he was “looking for something worthwhile to do on the side,” and found himself volunteering at the Bridgeport animal shelter.

“There was this dog named Baxter. He looked look like a pit bull but he wasn’t. He was blind and nobody wanted him and his time was up,” he recalled, adding the experience affected him so much that he became an advocate for dogs in dire straits.

“I’ve shuttled dogs with cancer up to Tufts University, and worked as a volunteer farmhand at Pets Alive in Middletown, N.Y.

“I’m a big shepherd fan and I’ve taken a few home, made them a permanent part of our family. Once you get to know a dog, you get attached,” he said, listing the dogs he and Ingrid have fostered, and then adopted over the years.

“There was Emma, a six-year-old shepherd. She was a fear aggressor, the runt of the litter, and was just not adoptable. And then there was Bailey, a Doberman mix, who came from a New Haven shelter. His time was up, and my wife fell in love with him.

“Bandit is another story. He had been kept outside on a two-foot leash for two years, and two older ladies who lived nearby had been agonizing about him. Finally, they just stole him, brought him to a shelter, and then they both moved to Florida.”

Pooh was a cruelty case with both demodectic and sarcoptic mange. She was an “evidence” dog, meaning she had been involved in a criminal case, and she had to stay in a cage and was not allowed to be touched.

“Now Pooh is a great dog. She had never been in a house and had to be domesticated. She had also never had a puppyhood. But she’s having it now,” he laughed.

There have been other dogs –– Mr DeAngelis could go on and on. Dogs that were used as bait for dog fights and dogs abandoned outside the shelter gates.

A particularly tragic case was the pair of German shepherds whose owner was dying of cancer, and the relatives not only tried to give them away while he was still alive, but they were going to split them up in the process.

“Shepherds are one-person dogs –– utterly devoted. I couldn’t bear it,” he said.

Matt DeAngelis knows he cannot personally foster all of the dogs that are languishing in area shelters, even on a temporary basis.

“There’s always one more dog than you can manage to take care of,” he said.

So he keeps on looking for homes. Meanwhile, he visits them, plays with them, and helps pay for their food and medical bills.

Five Good Dogs Ready To Go

Matt and Ingrid DeAngelis are currently fostering Jake, a three-year-old shepherd/golden retriever mix that was abandoned at the Dogwood Kennel.

“He’s very sociable, very strong and active. He likes to jump, but we’re training him not to do that. Whoever adopts Jake will get free instruction with Rob Mullins,” he added.

“Jake needs to be active. He’d be perfect with a hiker, biker, or runner, and he likes cats and other dogs. He’s really wonderful,” Mr DeAngelis said.

Cajun is a hound shepherd mix, three or four years old, who has been kenneled almost two years. “When he first came from the Bridgeport shelter, he needed a lot of work.  He had been abused and was skittish at first. But he’s so sweet, he just doesn’t show well the first time because of his timid nature.”

Phantom, affectionately known as “Phantie,” is a pit bull whose time was up at the Bridgeport shelter.

“She was my favorite and she was on the euthanize list. I just couldn’t let it happen.”

Phantie has lived in a kennel for about three years, but she loves to ride in the car when Mr DeAngelis picks her up at Dogwood Kennel and does errands.

“We stop at the bagel place, at the newsstand, at the drive-thru, and she’s happy. She’s not fond of other dogs or cats, but she would be a perfect dog for one person, or a couple with steady habits.

“I’m just afraid she won’t get adopted because she looks so beefy. She’s buff! You wouldn’t think it to look at her, but she likes to sleep a lot and she’s been spoiled. She’d be good for someone who has to work all day. She’s a cuddler and a grunter, not aggressive,” he added.

Happy is an 11-year-old cocker with some arthritis who needs to lose weight. He is a relatively new resident at the Dogwood Kennel, and was brought in when his owner had to go to a nursing home.

“Nobody else in the family offered to take him.  They said he was too difficult to take care of,” Mr DeAngelis said with disgust.

“It’s sad. If you could hear the stories we hear about why people don’t want to take responsibility for the dogs in their lives. It’s deplorable.

One dog that Matt DeAngelis feels sure he can place is Ben, an eight-year-old collie mix with only four teeth.

“He’s the nicest dog I’ve ever met, and the dog owner who gets him is lucky. He’s very low maintenance. When we got him, we could tell he was in a lot of pain. His owner had died, and the people who had him didn’t notice that he had very bad teeth. He was thin because it hurt him to eat.” Ben was rushed to Berkshire Animal Clinic on Toddy Hill Road, and there was so much infection that when he came out there were only four teeth left.

“He’s wonderful and sweet. He’s only got a few years left. I don’t want him to live them out in a cold kennel. He needs a home.”