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03/09/2016 07:30 AMWhen Wendy Joyce first joined the town as an animal control officer 30 years ago, Branford had yet to open the Daniel P. Cosgrove Animal Shelter. Her remarkable three decades of service (and counting) includes being there when the Branford/North Branford municipal shelter opened in 2003. In the ensuing years, Wendy’s work has helped it to earn a sterling reputation as a municipal shelter model.
To be able to protect, promote and find new homes for every animal, shelter employees and volunteers are dedicated to raising funds above and beyond the municipal budget. On Sunday, March 20, from 3 to 6 p.m., Wendy once again co-chairs Cosgrove Shelter’s Annual Pasta Dinner at Branford’s Italian America Club to benefit the shelter. Wendy will co-chair the event with Cosgrove Commission Chair Marilyn Vailette.
“We raise between $3,000 and $4,000, which is a good amount, but it’s really about getting the community together for a fun night with a reasonable ticket price,” says Wendy. “We have a DJ and dancing, we sell beer and wine, and the food is really great, from all the different restaurants.”
At least 15 local restaurants donate pasta, meatballs, and salads, generously giving more than what’s asked, she says.
“We just ask for one tray of pasta of any kind, but many of them give us pasta and meatballs, or pasta and salad, or all three,” says Wendy.
Tickets to the dinner sell out fast and are available now at Cosgrove Shelter, 749 East Main Street. If still available, tickets will be sold March 20 at the Italian American Club door at 40 Hamre Lane.
A member of a long-time Branford family on her mother’s side (Giordano), Wendy moved to town when she was eight. She also raised her own son, now 26, in Branford. Wendy and her wife, Nancy, share their Branford home with four cats and two turtles, all adopted from the shelter—including Shirley, a cat who spent several years living at the shelter. And, “if the right one comes and finds me,” Wendy may add another adopted dog to the family. Her long-time adoptive pup and buddy, Lou, passed away recently at age 13 ½.
Wendy adopted Lou just as Branford was wrapping up many years of renting needed space at Guilford’s former dog pound, before Cosgrove Shelter was built.
“He found me; I wasn’t looking for a dog,” says Wendy. “He was at the Guilford shelter, and he just came in and sat by my feet all day long.”
Lou was a basic mix or mutt. In more recent years, Wendy’s seen a rise in one type of shelter dog.
“A lot of dogs have a pit bull aspect. They say almost every dog in shelters throughout the whole New England area now has pit bull in it,” says Wendy.
She urges anyone hesitating about whether a pit bull mix is right for their family to come out to the shelter and see the dogs for themselves.
“There are so, so many good ones,” she says.
One shelter sweetheart currently looking for a family is Rosey. She’s a four-year old spayed mix with a beautiful blue-gray coat and the unmistakably sturdy genes of a mastiff. Rosey is so people-centric she spends much of her day in the shelter’s front office. But even as much as Wendy enjoys being greeted by Rosey at work, she’d really love to see her find a forever home.
“We don’t worry all that much about our animals here, because this place is great,” says Wendy, of the shelter, which has a no-kill policy. “It’s a bummer they have to sleep here and they don’t get to go home until they find their forever home. But they have beds and blankets, and the volunteers who come in to help them are great. Everybody loves them.”
While strays, surrendered pets, and other animals (think bunnies, hamsters, guinea pigs, and more) often are brought to the shelter for adoption, some find their way here from Wendy’s work, including urgent calls. She’s the lead officer among three full-time animal control officers and works closely with Shelter Director and Animal Control Officer Laura Burban to help maintain the safety of citizens and animals in Branford, North Branford, and Northford.
While Wendy has seen pets become a more valued part of the family, “unfortunately, there are still a lot of people out there who think dogs should be tied outside and live outside. But it’s not as bad as it used to be,” she says. “We also still get dogs totally matted down to the skin, and we go into houses where people have just left animals behind. We sometimes have to do evictions, too, unfortunately.”
In situations where a dog is fearful or a threatening others, stepping in can be a dangerous job.
“I’ve been bitten a lot,” says Wendy. “You have to just know how to deal with it and basically figure out how to get the dog to either calm down or get out of the situation. A lot of it is psychology. If a dog is left in the cage outside the shelter, and we come upon it in the morning, that dog is scared. They might look like they want to eat you, but really they don’t know what’s going on or who you are. All they know is they’ve been left out there in the dark.”
When Wendy’s not working for the town, she’s helping out her hometown as a volunteer coach with Branford Girls Softball. With a friend, she’s been co-coaching a 10U team, Sisters Act Painting, for four years.
“It’s something I always wanted to do and never had the opportunity,” Wendy says. “We’re having so much fun with the kids. Maybe we don’t win a lot, but we want the kids to learn and come back next year and enjoy. Kids at this age really just need exercise and to learn how to get along.”
An experienced gardener who cans her own jams, salsa, corn relishes, beets, and more, Wendy shares her flowers and her canned goods among seasonal offerings at Medlyn’s Farm Stand on Route 146.
“The nicer looking bouquets are mine!” says Wendy, laughing. “I plant my whole yard with flowers, mostly zinnias and sunflowers. [At Medlyn’s] I sit out there and line up my vases and try to make them look really nice.”
From once being Branford’s only animal control officer to becoming a member of a team that’s known for its expertise and experience, working for her town has always been a source of pride for Wendy.
“Growing up here and being a Branford person, and doing this for this for so many years...I’m definitely proud to work here,” she says.
Cosgrove Animal Shelter’s Pasta Dinner is Sunday, March 20 from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Branford Italian American Club, 40 Hamre Lane. Advance tickets (preferred; $12 for adults or $6 for children under 12) are available now at Cosgrove Animal Shelter, 749 East Main Street, Branford. For more information, call 203-315-4125 or visit www.facebook.com/dancosgroveanimalshelter.