For the past 16 years, Stacy Conley has served as the Animal Control officer in the Town of New Windsor and has no plans of slowing down any time soon.

Conley is currently preparing for the upcoming Rabies Drive-Thru Clinic that will be held on Saturday, May 14 and is set to begin at 10 in the morning and conclude at noon. The clinic will be held at Kristi Babcock Memorial Park at 660 Mount Airy Road.

This drive-thru clinic is a collaborative effort between the Town of New Windsor, New Windsor Animal Control Office and the Orange County Department of Health [OCDH]. The first rabies clinic took place in the fall of 2020 and was a huge success that first year for the town and so the town decided to continue this process.

Conley’s office is in New Windsor Town Hall and she welcomes all, English and non-English speakers alike, who may have compliance questions or may not know current regulations, to speak with her. Her main focus is to help those in the community for the betterment of the owners and their animals alike.

The first thing that Conley does when she arrives at work is review and check the police blotters for any animal related calls along with checking her phone and email messages.

Pre-pandemic, Conley recalled the Town of New Windsor would handle about 30 plus dogs a year with a variety of other animal related calls.

Several of the calls that she may receive are for dogs that may have gotten loose and so her department boards them until they are claimed by their owners. A list of dog license and dog redemption fees is available for viewing on the Town of New Windsor website.

Conley also works on maintaining the feral cat situation which is a common problem in other municipalities. Though the call volume has slowed down, Conley’s day is always changing.

“Day to day, it really depends. I enforce the rules of the Town of New Windsor, like the leash laws, make sure the dogs are up to date with their rabies [shots] and their license,” Conley said. “I also do wildlife. Skunks, possums, snakes, things like that. It’s a very interesting job. It’s never boring.”

Over the years, Conley shared she has had some interesting animal chases that have included chasing down goats, horses and cows. At Beaver Dam Lake, a llama that had gotten loose brought her out and Conley said there is a YouTube video available of the call.

For Conley, she shared that over the years she has had the opportunity to connect and work with a variety of other departments and individuals in the town and Orange County and she truly enjoys the work she does. “I enjoy my job. I can say I can wake up in the morning and say I like coming in and doing what I do,” Conley said.

Leading up to the 14th, the clinic is open to Orange County residents who own dogs, cats and ferrets. The town requires those who wish to attend the clinic to pre-register in advance and to present proof of vaccination when receiving their vaccines.

If proof of vaccination is presented, the pet can receive a three-year rabies shot. However, if no proof is presented, then the pet will be administered a one-year shot instead. Ferrets must be vaccinated each year by their owners regardless of presented proof. According to Conley, New York State requires dogs over the age of four months to have a rabies vaccination and license.

Donations of dry and wet dog food, cleaning supplies and towels will be graciously accepted by those able to donate.

San Giacomo Dog Park has also reopened for the season and so now residents can come outside and spend time with their pets. A program known as Seniors for Seniors is also available where senior citizens are paired with senior aged dogs as companions.

If residents have any questions about rabies, the OCDH can be reached at 845-291-2331. Residents can register for the clinic on the Town of New Windsor website. You can also reach Conley’s office at (845) 563-4634 for more information.