Critter Gitter Dog & Animal Control

04/07/2026

04/06/2026

Our Virtual Small Mammal Seminar is one week from today! You don’t want to miss it! Sign up at NYSWRC.org

03/13/2026

https://youtu.be/drbCSsaTg-o?si=Yp4dL3HatpneE9Gc

A Deaf 5-Year-Old Signed to Shelter Dogs... Only ONE Understood 💔Maya is five years old. She has been completely deaf since birth. She has never heard a sin...

03/09/2026

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A raccoon tested positive for rabies in the town of Colchester. This is the first laboratory confirmed positive case of rabies in Delaware County in 2026.
A rabid raccoon exposed two dogs in the town of Colchester. The raccoon was sent for testing to the New York State Department of Health Wadsworth Laboratory. There were no human exposures. Both dogs are up to date on their rabies vaccinations and received a booster. Colchester free rabies vaccination clinic is on March 18th from 5:00PM to 6:30PM at the Colchester Highway Garage, 6292 River Rd, Downsville, NY 13755.
Once infected, rabies is a virus that has 100% fatality rate when left untreated, in mammals including humans. Public Health recommends the following precautions to protect yourself and your family from possible exposure to rabies:
• Report any sick or strange acting wildlife
• Vaccinate pets and livestock. New York State law requires that all dogs, cats and ferrets be vaccinated against rabies by 4 months of age. Vaccinating your domestic animal not only provides protection for the animal, but vaccinated pets act as a barrier to keep the rabies virus from spreading between wild animals and people.
• Vaccination is also recommended for livestock with frequent human contact.
• Do not feed wildlife or stray animals and discourage them from seeking food near your home.
• Do not feed strays. According to Public Health Law an owner is defined as any person keeping, harboring, or having charge or control of or permitting any dog, cat or domesticated ferret to remain on or be lodged or fed within such person’s house yard or premises.
• Do not approach an unknown animal, either wild or domestic, especially if it is acting in a strange or unusual manner.
• Report all animal bites and any contact with bats to the Health Department in your county. Human rabies can be prevented after exposure by administering a series of shots.
• Keep garbage cans tightly covered and avoid storing any food outside.
• Children should be instructed to tell an adult immediately if they were bitten or scratched by any animal.
• If a pet not up to date on its rabies vaccinations comes in contact with rabid or suspected rabid animal the pet must be quarantined for six months.
• Vaccinated pets that come in contact with rabid or suspected rabies animal must be given a booster rabies vaccination within five days of the contact.
Exposure to rabies can be fatal for a human or a pet. Be sure your dogs, cats and ferrets are up to date on their rabies vaccinations. Vaccinated pets serve as a buffer between rabid wildlife and man. Protect them, and you may reduce your risk of exposure to rabies.
Public Health recommends that pet owners take advantage of any of the free remaining rabies clinics for dogs, cats and ferrets in Delaware County. Pre-registration is suggested for all clinics. You can pre-register at http://health.ny.gov/go2clinic
• Downsville – March 18, 2026, 5PM-6:30PM, Colchester Highway Garage, 6292 River Rd, Downsville, NY 13755
• Sidney-May 4, 2026, 5:30PM-7:30PM, Sidney Fire Hall: 74 River St. Sidney, NY 13838
• Hancock- May 11, 2026, 5:30-7:30PM Hancock Town Hall, 661 West Main St. Hancock, NY 13783
• Franklin- June 1, 2026, 5:30PM-7:30PM Franklin Fire Hall, 351 Main St., Franklin, NY 13775
• Margaretville- June 11, 2026, 4PM-6PM *New Location* Margaretville Fire Hall, 77 Church Street, Margaretville, NY 12455
• Roxbury- June 25, 2026, 4PM-6PM Roxbury Highway Garage, 52508 State Highway 30, Roxbury, NY 12474
• Walton-July 13, 2026, 5 PM- 7 PM, First Baptist Church, 55 Townsend St, Walton, NY 13856
• Delhi- August 12, 2026, 5 PM-7 PM Delhi Fire Hall, 140 Delview Terrace Extn. Delhi, NY 13753
• Stamford-September 9, 2026, 5 PM- 7 PM Stamford Fire Hall, 111 Main St. Stamford, NY 12167
• Deposit- October 5, 2026, 5:30PM-7:30PM *New Location* DPW Garage 192 Front St, Deposit, NY 13754
To report a suspected rabid animal call Delaware County Public Health Services at 607-832-5200. For more information call 607-832-5200 or visit our website at www.delawarecountypublichealth.com

03/08/2026

It was 7:12 a.m. when a girl walked into my clinic carrying a shoebox that was dripping onto the floor.

At first I thought it was melted snow from outside.

Then I saw the blood.

My name is Dr. Mark Halpern. I’m 64 years old, and that morning I was supposed to follow the new rules.

Three months earlier, the veterinary clinic I had built with my own hands had been bought by a large national corporation.

New uniforms.
New logos.
New policies.

And the rule they repeated in every meeting was simple:

No upfront payment, no treatment.

The girl standing in front of my desk couldn’t have been older than fourteen.

Her hair was wet from the snow and her shoes looked two sizes too big.

She gently opened the shoebox.

Inside was a tiny black puppy that was barely breathing.

A deep cut ran along his side like he had been sliced by broken glass.

“I found him behind the grocery store dumpster,” she whispered.

“He was crying.”

The puppy tried to lift his head… but couldn’t.

“Do your parents know you’re here?” I asked softly.

She shook her head.

“I live with my grandma. She’s sick. We don’t have money.”

Then she turned the shoebox toward me.

Taped to the inside of the lid were three coins and a small folded note.

“I sold my lunch today,” she said quietly.

“Can this help?”

Behind me, the clinic’s new regional supervisor cleared his throat.

He had arrived the night before to “observe operations.”

“Doctor,” he said in a cold voice, “if you treat every stray animal someone brings in, you’ll bankrupt this clinic.”

The puppy let out a tiny whimper.

I’ve worked with animals for over forty years.

You learn the difference between a sound of pain…

and the sound of something that is giving up.

This one was close.

I looked back at the girl.

She wasn’t asking for charity.

She was asking if kindness still existed.

I turned to the supervisor.

“How much profit does this clinic make every month?” I asked.

He frowned.

“That’s not relevant.”

“It is to me.”

“About eighty thousand dollars,” he admitted.

I nodded slowly.

Then I took the three coins from the shoebox…

and placed them carefully on the reception desk.

“There,” I said.

“Payment received.”

The supervisor’s face turned red.

“You can’t be serious.”

“Oh, I’m very serious,” I replied.

Then I picked up the shoebox and walked toward the surgery room.

“Prepare the table.”

The operation lasted two hours.

The puppy had swallowed pieces of broken plastic that had cut his stomach.

When we finally stitched him up, he weighed less than four pounds.

But he was alive.

When I returned to the waiting room, the girl had fallen asleep in the chair.

Her head was resting against the wall.

I gently woke her up.

“He’s going to make it,” I said.

For a moment she just stared at me.

Then she burst into tears.

The supervisor didn’t say a word.

But two days later I received the email.

“Employment terminated for violation of financial compliance policy.”

Forty years of work.

Ended with one message.

I packed my things quietly.

But here’s the part they didn’t expect.

The receptionist who had seen everything…

posted the story online.

Within 48 hours something incredible happened.

Hundreds of people began showing up outside the clinic.

Not to protest.

To help.

A retired contractor offered to renovate a small building he owned.

A local pet supply store donated food and medical supplies.

A nurse volunteered her weekends.

And someone started a fundraiser.

Three weeks later we opened a tiny clinic across town.

A hand-painted sign hung above the door.

“Three Coins Veterinary Care.”

The rule is simple.

If you can pay, you pay.

If you can’t…

bring whatever you have.

Last week the girl came back.

The puppy walked beside her.

Healthy.

Happy.

His tail wagging like crazy.

She placed three coins on my desk again.

I tried to give them back.

She shook her head.

“No,” she said.

“That’s his check-up money.”

And that’s when I realized something.

Sometimes the smallest payments…

create the biggest miracles. ❤️

03/06/2026