The Little Guild, the only limited admission shelter in northwest Connecticut, was founded in 1960 by Muriel Alvord Ward and Eleanora Kleinschmidt. The current 3,000-square-foot facility accommodates 16 dogs and 25 cats comfortably at any time.

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In addition to the standard daily needs and medical care, the Little Guild has a variety of programs to help our animals reach their full potential and become adoption success stories. Under the supervision of an experienced dog trainer, each dog is fitted with appropriate collars/harnesses, staff and volunteers are trained in how to walk the dogs properly, and behavior needs are assessed and addressed through individualized training plans. For both cats and dogs, we consistently provide playgroups, learning activities, temperament testing, socialization, appropriate exercise and mental stimulation.

 

This commitment to the development of the animals is what sets the Little guild apart from other shelters and rescues.  We don't just pass animals through our doors.  We help them grow and be good citizens.  Both for themselves and for the loving families we match them with.   

 

Our foster program  provides temporary homes for animals, allowing them to adapt to life in a home and is an invaluable resource in support of our animals and the work our direct care staff does in-house with our animals.

 

Our volunteer program is open to the community.  We rely on the help of our volunteers DAILY to help us provide the best possible care for our animals and can't thank our volunteers enough for the assistance we receive.

 

We continually expand and improve all of our programs to enrich our animals and make them more adoptable with each day in our care.  We have one of the highest save rates nationally averaging over 97%, the common standard for limited-intake shelters is 90%. 

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