Stevie thinks Wylie is a blast!! Sassy...not so much. Houdini, the 21 year old Bengal cat, just keeps eating, eating, eating!

These guys are visiting us for a few days. Zoe has always been a take charge kinda girl and life is grand no matter what. Smokey on the other hand has often worried about the little stuff. Well, we think Smokey made a bit of a breakthrough. Smokey found out he can be a big boy when he jumped into the crate in the van all by himself!! NO big deal! Now, he seems to be strutting around a little more and pretty darn pleased with himself. It is very cute. Makes us smile. Way to go, Smokey!!

Sally and Harry have been staying with us this week. They are a very entertaining couple! Harry is about three times as big as Sally, but it is very clear who is boss. Actually, Sally feels she is the boss of the entire kennel! She likes to run the show. I am glad Sally is scheduled to be groomed before she goes home, since she has been flying around in the pouring rain today and looks rather bedraggled but happy. Harry has opted to go out enough to take care of business, but then prefers his bed. They are always good for a chuckle!

Things are moving along well, now. The bridge/road will be closed to all traffic on Monday and Tuesday, (9/26 & 27), but limited foot traffic will be allowed. All pick ups and drop offs will be able to go ahead as planned. After that we should be able to get in and out with only minor delays. We will still continue with weekend pick ups and drop offs until further notice. Just bear with us if we are a little late at the park and ride! We are planning for the extra time, but it could always be a little more that we planned :)

Things are really looking good! SD Ireland has moved in with a bunch of really big equipment and the road is teaming with activity. It really feels like the cavalry has arrived, we are so happy to see these guys! I don't think we will have to close down at all. At the most we may have to plan on a little extra time waiting for the machinery to move aside. Then hopefully there will be at least one lane of traffic allowed with no weight limits. 

Thank you, SD Ireland!

Along with free boarding for displaced animals, Ripanco Kennels has dog food that has been donated by Guy's Farm and Yard and Pet Food Warehouse. Anyone that has been displaced from their homes and needs food, please contact us.

I just spoke with the project manager from SD Ireland who is repairing the bridge. He told me it would be sometime next week (Sept 26-30) before he would actually be working on the bridge itself. He felt that foot traffic would not be a problem. So we are hoping to be able to continue picking up and dropping off animals as scheduled in Waterbury.
Please continue to watch for updates! Thanks!

It is looking like the road/bridge repair is finally moving forward! Sounds like SD Ireland will be moving in sometime next week with heavy equipment. When they get working on the bridge, the road will be totally closed for a few days. We are not sure yet if that includes foot traffic. As soon as we find out for sure what is happening, we will post it here. It may mean we can not transport animals for a day or two, but as soon as the temporary bridge is in place, it will allow one lane of traffic with no weight limit. This is all good news!!

We just would like all our friends know that the kennel is just fine, we received no damage from Irene at the home or kennel. The Camel's Hump Rd, however did not fair so well! The usually picturesquely  serene Ridley Brook became a raging monster causing wash outs, bridge damage, landslides and home damage. Totally impassably for several days, the road is slowly improving day by day. However, there is one bridge that suffered catastrophic damage and will  eventually need to be replaced. Until then, we are having to park one vehicle on the high side and the rest on the low side and walking across the bridge. In order to be able to keep our furry guest accommodated, we purchased a new AWD Toyota Sienna. We will use this to pick up and drop off our animals at the Park and Ride as usual, walk them across the bridge into the blue Astro van for the remainder of the trip to the kennel. So please look for the white Sienna in the usual spot at the Park and Ride! And also note we will be doing pick ups at the Park and Ride on Saturdays at 9:00 am and 4:00 pm. 

We are still offering free boarding (up to 5 days) for pets displaced by Irene as well as discounted long term boarding.

Ripanco Kennel sends a special thank you to Eric Ladensack for all his tireless work on the road, making life easier, day by day. You are our hero!

Andy