Residents slam Hempstead shelter access limits; supervisor cites state law and adoption figures
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Summary
At the Jan. 6 town board meeting, residents criticized a new Town of Hempstead animal-shelter policy that restricts public access to kennels; Supervisor Ferretti said the policy followed state requirements and provided adoption and transfer figures since Dec. 15 to rebut claims it reduced adoptions.
At the Hempstead Town Board’s public comment period on Jan. 6, residents sharply criticized a new policy limiting public access to the town animal shelter, and Supervisor Freddie Ferretti defended the change, citing a state law and recent adoption figures.
Marsha Dtieri, a resident, told the board that volunteers had long walked dogs in front of the shelter and that those interactions help animals become social and increase adoptions. “The public interacting, enriching, and possibly adopting these dogs will not interfere with this,” Dtieri said, and warned that limiting access risks making animals “less and less adoptable.” She also urged the town to apply for grants from the Companion Animal Capital Projects Fund and noted grant deadlines.
Supervisor Freddie Ferretti said volunteers would continue to walk dogs, but on town property and trails behind the shelter, rather than through the kennels, because of safety concerns for students at the high school across the street. Ferretti said the policy took effect Dec. 15 and was put in place “because of the state law that you referenced,” and he cited a decibel limit he described as “0.85 decibels” as part of the justification. To counter claims that the policy reduced adoptions, he said: “Since December 15, a 104 animals have left the shelter, 70 animals went to adoption or rescue, 34 animals went to foster, 20 dogs were adopted, 4 dogs in foster, 2 dogs went to rescue.”
Diane Madden, another resident, accused the town of misrepresenting the law and said the public had had “free unfettered access to the animal shelter” for decades. “This is a First Amendment violation,” Madden said, and alleged an animal died slowly in its cage; she said some volunteers were considering ending their relationships with the Hempstead Shelter. Madden also said the town had circulated emails to rescues after the policy, which she characterized as evidence rescues had been lost.
Ferretti and staff responded that they have reached out to additional rescues to expand partnerships and invited the speakers to submit photos or evidence. The supervisor said the administration would continue efforts to increase adoptions and had recently waived adoption fees around the holidays to promote placement.
The board did not take formal action on the shelter policy during the meeting. Speakers asked town staff to review submitted photos and to continue conversations with volunteers and rescue partners.
Next steps: town staff said they would review materials submitted by speakers and continue outreach to rescue organizations; no vote or ordinance change was recorded at the Jan. 6 meeting.
