City hails donation-funded renovations to its animal control shelter

February 28, 2025

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The city’s Animal Control Shelter, at 13 South Smith Street, is within the compound containing the Public Works garage and the Wastewater Treatment Plant in East Norwalk. It recently underwent two months of renovations funded by a donation from a Norwalk woman’s estate. (Photo: Harold Cobin)

NORWALK, Conn. – The recent upgrades to the kennels in the city’s animal control shelter “was like going from a little efficiency apartment to like a three bedroom or four bedroom for these dogs,” exclaimed Animal Control Officer Robert Sirico during a tour of the facility Tuesday. “It’s a game changer when it came to their stress level and just their comfort.”

Animal Control Officer Robert Sirico explained how roll-up doors were installed on the rear wall of each kennel, enclosing what had previously been open areas that could not be used during cold weather. (Photo: Harold Cobin)

Reporters were invited to join city officials to observe the substantial renovations to the South Smith Street facility, which now features roll-up, garage-style doors along the back wall of the building for each kennel, enabling the dogs to have extended time outdoors in a fenced-in area.

The new doors also enclose what previously had been the portion of each kennel open to the outside, essentially tripling the climate-controlled interior floor space of each kennel, Sirico said.

Compared to the Norwalk location, “Other facilities, other towns, they’re still living in the dark ages,” Sirico said. “Their facilities are really substandard.”

The shelter, at 13 South Smith St., sits within the compound of the Public Works garage and the Wastewater Treatment Plant in East Norwalk. During two months of construction, the more than 20-year-old building also received improvements to its ventilation system and interior and exterior repainting.

“We really want to take care of our furry friends,” said Mayor Harry Rilling. “It’s unfortunate that sometimes they end up here in the pound, and it can be kind of traumatic for them.”

Rilling said the city had been in the process of deciding how it was going to upgrade the facility when a $330,000 donation was received in February 2023 from the estate of a Norwalk woman who bequeathed funds to a number of organizations throughout the city.

“That helped us make the decision,” Rilling said.

Police Chief James Walsh said some funds from the donation are left and will be used to make additional small improvements to the shelter.

The shelter falls under the control of the Police Department.

Sirico noted that he and the city’s other Animal Control Officer, Joseph Felner, are classified as constables and are authorized to enforce state animal welfare laws and the city’s animal control ordinances.

*Animal shelter employee Lexi Pennoyer takes Sparky for a walk in the dog run adjacent to the facility’s parking lot. (Photo: Harold Cobin)*

Besides maintaining the shelter, he and Felner investigate reports of cruelty to animals, dog bites, barking and nuisance dog issues, Sirico said.

They also respond to calls of an injured animal and arrange for injured or sick animals to be treated by a veterinarian, he said.

Sirico said the shelter, which only houses dogs, has 20 kennels—three designated for quarantined animals—and received 180 dogs last year.

Unclaimed dogs are held for eight days, after which they are available for adoption.

There is no limit on how long an unclaimed dog can be held, Sirico said.

Rilling said the city encourages people to adopt the dogs being held.

Sirico said that, while dogs can be adopted directly from the shelter, the facility also works with many animal adoption agencies in the area to make placements.

He said the advantage of going through an agency is that they handle the vetting of potential adopters, making sure dogs end up with appropriate ownership.