Animal Control Officer Returns To The Dog Pound

By Kendra Bobowick

A familiar voice picked up the phone at the Newtown dog pound Friday afternoon, August 28. “Newtown Animal Control …” said Carolee Mason, who is now back with the animals where she has wanted to be since her termination in April, and reinstatement in mid-June. “I’m back,” she said Friday, “I am back.” Ms Mason had returned to work at the pound officially on the previous day.

The animal control officer — fired then rehired after a lengthy personnel hearing — was busy with paperwork, phone calls, walk-in residents hoping to retrieve a pet, and the sporadic noise of barking dogs. Glad to be back, Ms Mason said Monday, “I am just ready to help the people and their animals.”

Effective April 1, First Selectman Joe Borst had fired Ms Mason after a meeting with Police Chief Michael Kehoe and Human Resources Director Carole Ross. Fighting the action, Ms Mason and her lawyer pursued a personnel hearing, which amounted to more than 11 hours of testimony. Selectmen Paul Mangiafico and Herb Rosenthal heard the testimony from one week to the next, and overturned Mr Borst’s decision. They chose to return Ms Mason as full-time animal control officer with stipulations, including training.

With phones ringing, computer repairs in progress, and a bustle of people visiting the pound accompanied by now Kennel Keeper Matthew Schaub — he had filled in as acting animal control officer while Ms Mason was away from the pound — Ms Mason straightened a few things on her desk: “I am just getting organized.” Stepping around the corner she greeted Larry with a Milk Bone and fed treats to a few other dogs in the kennels. Outside, Chevy was anxious. Pacing, then resting and setting his head to the side and perking his ears, he was soon standing again, nose to the fence containing him in the outdoor run.

Setting down the dog treats, Ms Mason spoke with thanks to the many residents supporting her during the hearing. “The people in town were great, wonderful.” She offered her gratitude to those in an animal-friendly town and vows to “move forward.” Her immediate agenda is a cat ordinance, which she hopes to write to make the pound cat-friendly, too. She also issued a reminder. Be sure dogs are licensed, she said. All fees support the dog fund and canine research.

Moving Forward

Among problems raised with her job performance were discrepancies with paperwork, including rabies certificates for particular dogs, and forms filed in town and with the state.

Is she comfortable with the training she has received in past weeks? “Yeah,” she said Friday, and then, “I am just glad I am back and just want to move forward. I am back at work and will do the best that I can.”

At a Board of Selectmen’s meeting last week, public frustrations erupted in shouting, as angered residents who have for months supported Ms Mason demanded to know exactly when she would be back at the pound. Weeks passed since Ms Mason’s hearing had stipulated remedial training, yet neither Mr Borst nor the police chief were able to specify her terms of training or a timeline for her return to the pound. The public wanted answers, and last Monday both Mr Mangiafico and Mr Rosenthal expressed concerns that Ms Mason was still not back to the pound.

Late Friday afternoon, Mr Borst confirmed, “Yes, she is back at her job,” but Ms Mason will have to “prove herself.” He explained, “She has to prove she can handle her job from an administrative as well as animal standpoint.” Hearing testimony underscored her talent for handling matters involving people and animals. Her paperwork and following proper procedures for filing and recording incidents and information, however, was reportedly flawed. Both the first selectman and Ms Ross want to “help [Ms Mason] follow state laws and local laws,” Mr Borst said Friday. “We’ll give her assistance whenever she needs it. We told her we want her to succeed, and we will help.”

Many of Ms Mason’s supporters are skeptical of her relationship with her supervisors who had initially fired her when Mr Kehoe and Ms Ross first discovered problems. Asked if the animal control officer was being treated fairly and with good intentions, Mr Borst maintained, “We are not setting her up to fail. We are setting her up to succeed.”

Do hard feelings linger between Ms Mason and the police chief? “I don’t think so,” Mr Borst said. He added, “It’s an unfortunate situation and we are trying to resolve … I would hate to lose anybody. [Ms Mason] is talented with the animals, but there is another part to her job.” He reiterated that Ms Mason “has to prove she can handle the job,” paperwork and all.

Noting another problem highlighted during her hearing — no ordinance pertaining to cats, despite the many cats sheltered at the pound — Mr Borst added, “The first thing we need to do is work on an ordinance for cats. Now, it’s not in the purview of the law.”