Essex County looking to solve rescued animals issue

ELIZABETHTOWN | Any kind of abuse is considered morally wrong, but when it comes to animals, they can't speak for themselves; someone needs to help them. Unfortunately, when a helping hand is extended and the animals are rescued, there may not be anywhere to take them. For instance, last month, 18 dogs were seized in town for alleged neglect, and instead of one location, they had to be placed in several different shelters between Plattsburgh and Burlington, Vt., according to Elizabethtown Supervisor Cathleen Reusser during the Essex County Ways and Means Committee's July meeting. "[It] shows very prominently the holes in providing [these] services to people and animals." In cases of suspected animal abuse or neglect, law enforcement (often in conjunction with the SPCA and/or animal control) may investigate and potentially seize animals based on search warrants or other legal authority. Towns are required to provide a place to shelter those animals either by maintaining their own facility or by contracting with another entity. Several towns in Essex County currently contract with the North Country SPCA in Elizabethtown. However, as of this January, its wording changed from "take in all" to "per dog basis," said Executive Director Wendy Beeman Tibbitts. "So, when the towns signed their contracts, they had the understanding that we would take in dogs when we had kennel space available, but if we didn't have kennel space available, they would need to have a backup plan." Now, county and town officials are looking into potential Plan B solutions, such as developing a network of facilities run by each of the towns throughout the county, said Shaun Gillilland, chairman of the Essex County Board of Supervisors and Town of Willsboro supervisor. "This is not an everyday issue, but when it does happen, you have to deal with it, and towns don't have the resources to do that right now." As of Dec. 15, 2025, all animal shelters and rescues in New York will be licensed and inspected by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. They will have to comply with the standards outlined in the Companion Animal Care Standards Act, which covers aspects like housing conditions, veterinary assessment, and care protocols. The North Country SPCA contract change comes in response to this new law, said Beeman Tibbits. The same goes for Elmore SCA in Peru, which, in 2024, stopped providing services to seven out of 10 communities in Clinton County. Now, the shelter only accepts stray animals from Peru, Black Brook, and Schuyler Falls. Neither Reusser nor Beeman Tibbits was able to speak any further on last month's 18-dog rescue effort. Beeman Tibbits did state, however, that the North Country SPCA can accommodate about 20 dogs and 65 cats at a time, and at the time this article was written, they were holding 16 dogs and 30 cats. Lack of space was one contributing factor to the outcome of last month's case. The other was the fact that all 18 dogs were found with parvovirus, a highly contagious infection that is spread from dog to dog by direct or indirect contact with their feces. Treatment of parvovirus often involves veterinary hospitalization, which is both limited and expensive, stated Reusser during the July committee meeting. "Veterinary services are not seven days a week anymore. Most vet services in the community, both in Essex and Clinton counties, run Monday through Friday." So, when circumstances arise where a dog needs intensive veterinary care, nearby options are minimal, including Burlington Emergency & Veterinary Specialists, Vermont's only 24/7 emergency and specialty veterinary hospital. There are a few veterinary services in both counties that are open on the weekends. However, most of them have limited hours of operation, usually closing by 5 p.m. And then there's the cost. "The average price of [...] caring for a dog with parvo is between $5,000 and $7,000 each dog," Reusser stated during the July committee meeting. "Again, the demand for services comes with a very high price tag." That's why the county formed the dog confinement task force — to analyze the problem further and develop a proposal on how to handle this. "I don't necessarily know the answer," Reusser said during the July committee meeting. "I just know we are in a circumstance right now, with little or no resources for the care of these animals." In the meantime, people who see signs of animal abuse or neglect are encouraged to call the Animal Cruelty Hotline, a program Essex County launched in 2018 that connects callers to county emergency response dispatchers who will then forward the information to local law enforcement. To make a report, call 1-844-4RESQME or 1-844-473-7763.

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Essex County looking to solve rescued animals issue

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