September 2016 by Joe M.
I was introduced to the Mansfield Animal Shelter back in 2012 when I discovered that they produce a program on the local community cable channel, where they show all the animals available for adoption. A fantastic idea that I wish more shelters took advantage of. After a few weeks of insufferably cute faces and accompanying sad stories, I ventured over. Be sure to check the hours on their website, because they're only open a couple of hours some days, and longer hours others, due to it being staffed almost entirely by volunteers. It turns out that they are affiliated with the town animal control department and many of their rescues have been picked up as strays, or left behind after a move. They also accept dropped off pets, though preferably not the 'basket left on the doorstep' kind, which sadly was part of some of the cats' histories. I found a clean, organized place with cats at one end of the building and dogs at the other. Lots of helpful staff cleaning cages, socializing animals and carrying out the administrative side of the shelter. I was able to walk through the cat room, interacting with the cats in cages (roomy, scratching posts and individual litter-boxes), and with some that are allowed to roam freely while volunteers are there. They also have a couple of communal cat rooms with several cats living happily together. The volunteers answered questions, and I was able to use a visiting room to see a couple of cats 1 on 1. On my second visit I met Jack-O. He was a fixed, 6 year old male tuxedo cat. He was terrified of having gone from owner, to shelter, to quarantine, to the vet and finally to a room full of cats in cages. I could see in his eyes that he had just disconnected and gone to a happy place in his head. He didn't respond to verbal or food-based cues, just stayed curled up with that 'thousand yard stare'. I knew he was the one for me. The adoption process was pretty simple; Application, references checked (previous pets and the vets that cared for them) and a reasonable fee for the process (includes fixing, if necessary). I found everyone that I dealt with pleasant, professional and above all devoted to placing all those animals in good homes. Four years later Merlin (formerly Jack-O) is a happy, healthy, furry, non-rent paying roommate with a passion for chirping at birds and knocking over priceless knick-knacks. He contributes only to my sanity, refusing to deal with ground level threats like ants and spiders. I'm still a sucker for the cable show highlighting their adoptables, and often watch with Merlin directly in front of the television occasionally reaching out to see who these intruders in our living room are.
