GUILDERLAND — On the rare occasion a dog being held at the town’s shelter is not reclaimed by its owner within the five-day waiting period, the dog will go to the Susquehanna Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
At its February meeting, the town board voted to approve an agreement with the Susquehanna Society.

Last fall, the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society told Guilderland, along with a number of other municipalities, it would no longer house their stray dogs.

Besides Guilderland, other local municipalities that were cut off by Mohawk Hudson included New Scotland, Knox, Westerlo, and Bethlehem.

At the time, Mohawk Hudson said there were “staggering increases” in stray animal and animal cruelty intakes in 2022 with a projected increase of 29 percent from 2021, for a total of 1,198 dogs.

Mohawk Hudson said it would maintain its contracts with the cities of Albany, Watervliet, Schenectady, and Troy, and the town of Colonie, which combined account for 90 percent of the humane society’s stray intakes, and which had seen a 43-percent year-over-year increase, according to Mohawk Hudson. 

The annual number of animals brought to the humane society by the other 16 municipalities whose contracts were not renewed ranges from two to 40, according to the society. 

Guilderland Supervisor Peter Barber told the town board on Feb. 7, “I think last year, it was one dog” that Guilderland placed with Mohawk Hudson.

A Jan. 26 memo from Guilderland Police Chief Daniel McNally to Barber and the board said that Guilderland is fortunate to have a town-run shelter with two animal-control officers, in full compliance with Agriculture and Markets Law.

“The vast majority of dogs are licensed, they have chips … they’re found,” said Barber of strays in Guilderland. “Again, we are one of the few towns locally that actually has an animal shelter with two professional animal-control officers and so we do shelter most of our animals but they find their way back home within the five-day period.”

Councilwoman Christine Napierski, describing herself as a “dog lover,” said she had asked McNally if Guilderland’s was a no-kill shelter. “He assured me that it is,” said Napierski.

The agreement with Susquehanna, a not-for-profit shelter registered with the state, says Guilderland will pay $250 for a dog and $200 for a cat to be humanely sheltered and fed with “arrangements for emergency medical care should this be required.”

The agreement runs from Jan. 1, 2023 to Dec. 31, 2023.

Other business

In other business at its Feb. 7 meeting, the Guilderland Town Board:

— Agreed to a 20-page lease with D Squared Management, LLC doing business as The Hedge Bistro, which will provide food and drinks for the town’s clubhouse at the Western Turnpike Golf Course.

Barber had said earlier it was hard to keep a restaurateur at the clubhouse because of the seasonal nature of the business; the clubhouse, like the golf course, is shut in the winter.

The lease runs from Jan. 19, 2023 to Nov. 30, 2027.

“We’re going to add a provision that deals with the protection of reputations, particularly with making sure … that there’s no use of social media to negatively reflect upon the town,” said Barber. Also, at Councilwoman Amanda Beedle’s suggestion, a prohibition of marijuana smoking will be added to that of tobacco smoking;

— Accepted a series of 11 easements for a waterline extension for an approved 62-lot cluster subdivision on Fuller Station and West Old State roads; and

— Waived building permit fees for 6997 Suzanne Lane, which was damaged by fire.