Wallingford Animal Control Officer Pleaded For AC In Kennel: Memo

WALLINGFORD, CT — Democratic mayoral hopeful Riley O’Connell obtained documents he said shows Mayor William Dickinson Jr. has known of the Wallingford Animal Shelter’s dire need for air conditioning despite public statements to the contrary.

Animal advocates have been pleading with Dickinson to install air conditioning in the kennel portion of the shelter with the recent heat waves hitting Connecticut. The issue was discussed at a recent Town Council meeting, with Councilor Gina Morgenstein describing the situation as "inhumane" and fellow Democratic Councilor Vincent Testa speaking at length about the lack of air conditioning and the summer heat approaching, the Record-Journal previously reported.

Dickinson controls a $700,000 trust fund that was donated to the town for improvements and repairs for the animal shelter. Dickinson, who has been mayor since 1984, recently told WTNH News 8 that it was the first time the issue was raised with him, and made similar comments during the council meeting. He also said the town is in the process of hiring a new head animal control officer and has said it will take time to go through the proper reviews and recommendations to get a new air conditioning system installed.

O’Connell’s campaign obtained a 2018 memo from former Animal Control Officer Katie Ehlers, who resigned in May, to Dickinson requesting to use the trust fund to install air conditioning in the kennel portion of the shelter. O’Connell shared the memo, which was dated July 2, 2018, with the media.

“This has been something I have been wanting to ask for during my time here, but this year seems to be particularly unbearable for both the dogs, and for us employees,” Ehlers wrote in the memo. “We recently had a dog undergo surgery, and due to high temperatures and humidity in the kennel area we had to board him at the vet’s office to prevent him from going into heat stroke.

“Not only are these inhumane conditions for the dogs, it is a safety and wellness concern for the employees who have to work in those conditions. We have to clean the kennels which takes several hours, and it takes longer as we have to take several breaks to rehydrate and cool down in the office to prevent us from passing out from heat exhaustion.”

Ehlers wrote that she realized it “sounds dramatic, but on a day like today, the conditions are truly that uncomfortable.”

“We have made attempts to use individual units that have been donated to the shelter, but the square footage is just too big and the units make no difference at all,” she wrote. “I’m asking to use the trust fund as it would benefit the dogs greatly and improve their quality of life tremendously in the summer months.”

Ehlers asked for Dickinson’s permission to obtain quotes for the job.

“We truly appreciate your consideration in this matter,” she wrote. “Please know that I am aware that this type of job may cost several thousand dollars. I wouldn’t be asking for it if I didn’t think it was absolutely necessary.”

O’Connell said the memo confirms that Dickinson was “repeatedly notified of the deplorable conditions at the shelter.”

"Unfortunately, at this point I'm not surprised by the mayor's blatant disregard for the truth, but I am disappointed nonetheless,” O’Connell said in a statement. “With our community rallying to address the root causes of this problem, no one is served by his false narrative."

Ehlers told the Record-Journal that Dickinson denied her request in 2018 and said during a visit to the office that he didn’t think the heat was all that bad. He had also asked her to record the temperatures at the kennel for two weeks before he announced his decision, she told the Record-Journal.

The Record-Journal reported that Dickinson recently said he vaguely recalled Ehlers communicating in 2018 or 2019 that she “felt it was too warm” in the office.