Animal Awareness Day returns after two-year hiatus

BRANFORD — Like Punxsutawney Phil squinting into the sunlight after a year of hibernation, the Branford Compassion Club feline rescue and adoption organization will welcome visitors to the Branford Green as part of Animal Awareness Day next month.

Sunday’s event, which runs from noon to 4 p.m., will be the nonprofit’s first live, in-person event in two years, a long intermission that everyone interviewed from the group described as a “tough” one.

Being closed to the public is not exactly ideal when a group’s mission is the touchyfeely business of finding forever homes for homeless felines — or when kitten season proves to be epic for those two years, organizers said.

“We’re hoping people will feel comfortable to come out for what is a fun-filled, family day,” Fundraising Chairperson Chris Gagne said. “It was crazy challenging, because it’s the first live event in two years, and we want it to be special, so we have high hopes that people are ready to get outdoors and have fun.”

Animal Awareness Day, emceed by Dennis Nardella, is BCC’s annual free celebration of their love of animals, highlighted by the blessing of the animals at 1:30 p.m., which attracts an array of pets.

The always anticipated bake sale will be back, along with kids’ activities, games, live music by Sal Annunziato, an eclectic group of vendors, food trucks, WPLR-FM booth, Quinnipiac University Professor Donna Latella’s mini therapy horses, a dog kissing booth, search-and-rescue dog demos, and presentation by Carolyn Sires and Victory from Educated Canines Assisting People with Disabilities.

Financial hardships

During the first year of the pandemic, when people were not leaving their homes, BCC fared better than it’s doing now, President Peg Johnson said.

“During the first year of COVID, the shelter operated with less than half the normal volunteer staff, and it was very hard on the few volunteers who worked long hours and multiple shifts [to care for the cats],” Johnson said. “Thankfully, we are back to an almost full staff.

“But this year, the hardship is more of a financial one, caused in part by not being able to hold public fundraisers, but, mostly because of expenses incurred with a large increase of owner-surrendered and abandoned cats …”

A lot of people were looking for companionship or a pet for home-bound kids, and took a leap of faith by adopting kittens they’d selected through Zoom chats with the fosterers, videos and photos, then completed the adoptions curbside, BCC said. None were returned. But this year, the organization reports, adoptions are down.

During the pandemic, phones were ringing off the hook with people unable to afford their pets, begging BCC to take their animals, because that other shelters and rescues had turned them away, shelter Manager Lianne Soucy said.

“We take them in, because that’s what we do. That’s our mission,” she added.