Hot off the presses!!!

[moosmom]

Here ya go!!!

My next article will be about Dr. Lawrence Pennington, who runs the Windsor Animal Clinic and helps hundreds of rescue organizations. Dec. 7th is the launch of www.windsor.patch.com. I'm VERY excited!!!


http://mansfield.patch.com/articles/qa-with-mansfield-animal-control-officer-noranne-nielsen

[Catty1]

Sorry, Donna - the link twice took me to a 'page not found'.

[moosmom]

Try it again...I had no problem.

www.mansfield.patch.com It'll bring you to the front page. In the upper right hand corner is a "search". Type in Mansfield Animal Control and it'll bring you right to the article.

[Laura's Babies]

Brought me to the page not found page too.. I'll try it like you suggested.

[Catty1]

I got the article from November 16. Maybe it's not uploaded yet?

I'll try later - I want to read it! :)

[moosmom]

I'll go in a copy the text so you can read the story.

I was hoping I'd be able to show you "Velvet" the big boy with polydactyl toes. He's gotta weigh at least 15 lbs.

[moosmom]

Sorry everyone. Here's the article.

Born in the Netherlands, Nielsen started out in marketing and as a animal shelter volunteer.

By Donna Ploss

Meet Noranne Nielsen, Mansfield's Animal Control Officer since 1999, and and "Velvet,"  a 12-year-old neutered male cat and polydactyl (extra toes).

Nielsen is hoping to find Velvet a new home, after his owners abandoned him. A concerned neighbor called animal control. Velvet, a mess when first brought into animal aontrol, is a big boy with a very loud purr, who's been completely vetted and is just waiting for someone to fall in love with him and take him home. He gets along well with older cats and dogs. His adoption fee is $40.

Born in the Netherlands, Nielsen started out as a volunteer at a dog pound. When the town of Mansfield announced they were in the market for an animal control officer, Nielsen applied. "When I heard about the possibility of a control officer, I was very excited." The rest is history.

Q. Do you see a difference in the way animals are treated in the Netherlands as opposed to the U.S.?

A. Yes. In the Netherlands, there are no animal control officers. If there was a stray dog, it was the police officer who would bring the dog in. They also treat their animals like family members.

Q. What made you become an ACO?

A. Well, I didn't plan it. I studied Business Economics and I always worked in marketing. Then I moved to this country and, whatever job I had, I always volunteered at animal shelters. When I came over here, I first volunteered at the Stamford Animal Shelter. Then we moved up here and I volunteer at this shelter. Then the Mansfield Animal Control Officer at that time needed an assistant. "I was like, let's apply!" That was 11 years ago.

Q. Have you had any special training?

A. I am a Certified Animal Control Officer with NACA (National Animal Control Officer Association).

Q. You also have training in wildlife, correct?

A. Yes, I do. I have to have a license in wildlife through the Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator.

Q. Do you have pets of your own?

A. Yes, I have three dogs.

Q. All rescues?

A. Absolutely! It's the way to go!

Q. What do you think about the low income, low cost spay/neuter vouchers available through the Connecticut Dept. of Agriculture?

A. I'm totally for spaying/neutering and think anything that can help animals get spayed/neutered, I think is fantastic. It's a great program that is very popular and runs out so fast.

Q. What is a typical day in the life of an ACO?

A. There is no typical day. There are tasks in a day that need to be done. When you first come in, you need to take care of the animals. It's not only cleaning, but it's medicating, because a lot of animals are sick. During the day I have veterinarian appointments and answering the phone, which can be emergencies, anything from animals hit by cars to sick raccoons. The phone keeps you busy. I try to answer whatever questions people have.

Often in the afternoon, I have appointments with people who want to adopt an animal, so I spend time with them. It requires a background check, veterinarian references, and educating the people about proper pet nutrition. We also have volunteers who come into the shelter in between that have to be watched. At the end of the day, the animals have to be fed, medicated and their litter boxes scooped and dogs walked, in preparation for the night. On top of that, I go to schools with a certified therapy dog to educate the children. It's always interesting for the children when you bring an animal with you.

Q. What is the strangest animal control call you've ever gotten?

A. I actually had to pick up a snake once. It was a corn snake. I had to keep it here under the desk in a temporary container because the only snake rescue is out of Massachusetts (there is no snake rescue in Connecticut), and they only came out on weekends. I got the snake on Wednesday and had to wait until they were able to come and pick him up on Saturday. I had the snake in my office for a couple of days.

Q. Have you ever gotten a call regarding a cat up a tree?

A. Oh yes, we get that all the time. I give people advice that by pursuing the cat, it will likely go higher up the tree, making it more dangerous for the cat. The higher up the tree the cat goes, the weaker the branches are. The best thing they can do is to leave the cat alone. The cat will eventually come down if you leave a nice canned food at the base of the tree.

Q. What do you think about microchipping?

A. I think it's a great thing, especially for cats. Two of my dogs are microchipped. A microchip can never be lost. In cats, it's the way to go.

Q. What do you think of the Domestic Violence/Pet Abuse Registry?

A. There is actually a Pet Abuse Database available on Google that shows recent abuse cases, www.petabuse.com. It's a very interesting database, and I use it all the time when I do my background checks for pet adoptions.

Q. What's the one piece of advice you can offer Connecticut residents who have a pet or are looking to get one?

A. Spay and neuter your pets! If you're looking for a new pet, come to the shelter to adopt. You don't want to buy an animal because there are hundreds of shelter animals just waiting to be adopted.

If you are interested in adopting Velvet, please call Mansfield Animal Control at 860-481-0137.

[moosmom]

http://mansfield.patch.com/articles/qa-with-mansfield-animal-control-officer-noranne-nielsen

Maybe THIS will work. This is the direct link to the column.

[Catty1]

"Page Not Found" :(

Maybe the editor knows if there is some reason the links don't work? Some security thing on them maybe?

I'd LOVE to see the pic of that kitty!

[moosmom]

Just got an email from my editor. She said the link won't be up and running till Tuesday. They're going to email me when it is.

Sorry about that.