Dan Cosgrove Volunteer Opportunities

Much like the fact sheets crammed with animal rescue programs/education/services she spearheads, Laura Selvaggio Burban's office at Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter is packed to the margins, too.

One chair points a TV at the cage of a TV-loving, three-foot-tall macaw. Another cage is home to Squeekers the parakeet. Squeezing into some surprising spaces is a rather large cat, best buddies with Trouble, the free-ranging ferret. And, while she appears menacing, the bearded dragon in a glass case is no trouble at all, Laura says.

Like all of the shelter's guests, these five animals (rescued from one home) are here only until the best adoptive home can be found. That mission's one of Laura's highest priorities as Branford/North Branford's director of animal control.

On the job just 18 months, Laura has brought a new enthusiasm to the six year-old shelter and a creative energy to its programs, services, and fundraising. She's rapidly raising the bar on what a municipal shelter can offer and wants to inspire other shelters to do the same.

A former real estate agent, then home pet care service owner, Laura's now found the perfect fit for her marketing savvy and love of animals.

"I never would've guessed this would have been my dream job. But this isn't a typical municipal pound," says Laura.

Laura's not a police officer, but rather a municipal animal control officer reporting to the first selectman. As such, she's got flexibility to try innovative approaches to saving animals. But she also works closely with police. A remarkable example arrived in December when Branford police saved a neglected mother dog and her newborn puppies at a motel.

"I was extremely proud of the police department. It was the middle of the night and they really spearheaded that rescue. Then, to allow me to come in, support me, and conduct an investigation?We found two more moms and six more puppies. I'm so grateful."

While finding puppies homes is a lot easier than placing vicious animals, Laura's prepared to exhaust every avenue for the ...

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Entertainment

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• animal shelter
• branford
• dan cosgrove
• the sound