Stamford Animal Shelter Strives To Keep Unadoptable Dogs Alive

STAMFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork) -- An animal shelter in Stamford, Connecticut has gone to extraordinary lengths to keep problem dogs alive – even when they have proven impossible to adopt.

As CBS2's Lou Young reported, the dogs would otherwise find themselves on death row.

A 6-year-old shih-tzu named Riley is on the "unadoptable" list at the city animal shelter in Stamford.
"Riley does not care for people, but he's fine around other dogs," said Stamford Animal Control Officer Tilford Cobb.

And Riley would not work out so well as a pet, according to Cobb.

"Riley doesn't want to curl up on you lap or your couch," Cobb said. "Riley just wants to be a dog, and we think he should have that chance."

Riley is one of five dogs eligible for a new program that will keep them alive. A Chihuahua named Paulie is another.

"He will bite you," Cobb warned.

The dogs are a tangle of fear, food, and guarding aggressions – and they might be headed to an upstate New York sanctuary for dogs unfit to be pets.

For instance, Chi-Chi likes his toys a little too much.

"Chi-Chi, actually, he bit me over a tennis ball," Cobb said.

Last year, the animal shelter did not put a single dog down for behavioral reasons. The shelter did, however, send several to animal sanctuaries at the cost of $5,000 each. The cost funds a lifetime of care.

That program, of course, gets expensive, so the city has set up a charity so animal lovers can pay for it themselves. It is called "Leash on Life."

"This would just be happening if there's donations -- you know, somebody's making a donation because they'd like to see the animal saved -- that's easier than just saying well, we're going to never kill any animals," said Eileen Heaphy of the Stamford Animal Shelter Task Force.

"We don't want to turn around and euthanize these animals," added Cobb. "We do our best to make sure we can do what we can for these animals."

And if $5,000 sounds like a lot, some critics said it may actually not be enough.

"A dog can up to live 15 years, so that money can go very quickly," said New Rochelle Animal Shelter Manager Dana Rocco.

Stamford's previous animal control officer, Laurie Hollywood, was arrested and fired for allegedly doctoring the records of problem dogs and adopting them out.

The city is now working with an organization called Pack Ethic to keep the animals alive without putting humans within reach of their teeth.