Ruff conditions cited in call to upgrade Middleboro shelter

MIDDLEBORO —The Middleboro Animal Shelter, which has served the town for more than half a century, may be receiving an upgrade.

Voters at April Town Meeting will be asked to spend $24,100 for a feasibility study to determine the next steps for the facility at 50 Joe Ciaglo Way.

Two options are under consideration: Constructing a new facility or renovating the current structure, according to a proposal from the town’s Capital Improvement and Planning Committee.

Improvements are sorely needed to improve aging conditions, said Madeline Berio, Middleboro’s animal control officer. Some kennel doors are broken and latches don’t shut correctly, she said.

“We have to take 10 steps to do things that should take two,’’ she said.

The aging, porous cement walls make cleaning — a constant need in shelters — more challenging, she said.

Storage is another issue, she said. The shelter houses 18 kennels, but many are used for storing items rather than housing animals.

The shelter also lacks a quarantine room and an isolation room. It also lacks a separate room for cats which provides separation from dogs. Without it, Berio said felines are oftened frightened while receiving treatment.

A separate area for people to meet with adoptable animals, Berio noted, can make for a more welcoming environment.

Berio said the shelter can currently house eight dogs and four cats, which is fewer than what is often needed. When 12 cats had to be brought in from a recent neglect case there was only room for four in the animal area. The remaining eight were housed in the office.

The shelter receives animals from a variety of situations, Berio said. Some are strays, others are pets that families can no longer keep, sometimes because an owner has died.

Then, there are animals that are abandoned. Unfortunately, she said, Middleboro is a “big dumping ground’’ for animals, because of the town’s open fields, back roads and proximity to highways.

Animals have also been rescued from neglect, abuse and hoarding situations.

“Everything you can think of regarding an animal we’ve probably handled it," she said.

Middleboro's facility notably took in many of the 17 dogs rescued from a hoarding case on Precinct Street in 2024. The dogs were cared for at the shelter and eventually placed for adoption.

The shelter is a no-kill facility. “They’re here until we can get them adopted,’’ Berio said with a smile.

One example is Ranger, a four-year-old husky-cattle dog mix who loves people but does not get along with other male dogs.

He was surrendered to the shelter, then adopted out. But his new owners returned him because of his incapability with male dogs.

He will find the right home eventually, Berio said. In the meantime, he lives at the shelter where he receives love and attention from staff and volunteers.

But the shelter is not adequate for people or animals, Berio said.

“It’s hard enough to be an animal in a shelter,’’ she pointed out. “Why not make it the best we can?’’