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Wyoming County group seeking animal shelter
BY JOSH MROZINSKI

FACTORYVILLE — Dentist Tom Dell’Aglio often talks with his patients, but not just about their teeth.


People who visit him also talk about the need for an animal shelter in Wyoming County, which is what a group Dr. Dell’Aglio helped to form wants to achieve.

Dr. Dell’Aglio is one of seven people who formed the Endless Mountain Animal League, a group that incorporated Jan. 7 and is seeking nonprofit status.

“More people would be more inclined to go to the shelter when they are looking for a pet,” Dr. Dell’Aglio said.

He said more animals’ lives would be saved if a shelter were located in the county, because people would be less inclined to abandon an animal.

“There are cats and dogs abandoned all the time,” Dr. Dell’Aglio said.

Dr. Dell’Aglio is also convinced that such a facility would serve as a rallying point for residents who want to volunteer and donate.

“We have a lot of people who want to volunteer,” he said.

Currently, Wyoming County uses shelters in Montrose and Clarks Summit, depending on where animals are picked up.

“We’re animal people, and we understand we have to look after the animals in Wyoming County, and that’s what we do,” Lackawanna County Humane Society Executive Director Warren Reed said. “We welcome all the help we can get, certainly from Wyoming County, because we’ve covered the county for years.”

Mr. Reed said it costs about $800,000 a year to operate the shelter, which at any given time is home to 100 dogs and 200 to 300 cats, as well numerous other small animals.

Although Dr. Dell’Aglio is not sure whether it will be feasible for the animal league to have a shelter built in Wyoming County, he said that the group would certainly try.

“Really, I think the sky is the limit,” Dr. Dell’Aglio said. “There are so many things that can be done.”

Along with a shelter, the group wants to focus on education, advocate for animal rights and set up a foster program.

“We’re going to get out there and educate the public,” new animal league member Mary Smotryski, of Dalton, said.

Contact the writer: jmrozinski@timesshamrock.com

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