The Community Behind Casella
However, it’s important to note that this company and the vital service they provide, is staffed by caring, hardworking individuals whose efforts are worthy of recognition.
Case in point, Casella team members recently played a large role in helping a local resident find her lost dog.
It all began on June 17 when Jaelynn Gerald, the Administrative Assistant for DPW, acquired a new dog at a dog adoption event here in York. Late that evening, this new dog, named “Faith”, made a mad dash out the door while another dog was being let in. Jaelynn and her fiancé, Jay, followed immediately but Faith was nowhere to be found.
Jaelynn was devastated and worried sick over where this young, shy dog could be and how it could possibly survive in such an unknown place.
Lost dog flyers were created, alerts went out via Facebook, vets, pet services and authorities were notified, and Jaelynn spent every day of the next week searching for Faith.
It was during this week while Jaelynn was searching that she crossed paths with Rick, a Cassella Site Manager, in a Casella truck working his route. Rick listened to her story and agreed to let her know if he spotted Faith during his travels. The next day Jaelynn received an email from Casella’s dispatcher, Carissa, who had heard about the situation from Rick. Carissa went as far as walking the train tracks with her dogs to help aid in the search. Apparently, Rick had alerted everyone at Casella, and all were willing to help in the hunt for Faith. Joe, a Casella Frontload Driver, also helped as he met up with Jaelynn every day after his route to help with the search.
A few days later a doorbell camera at a home in North Berwick photographed a dog that matched Faith’s description. That homeowner got in touch with Joe who in turn let Jaelynn know. It turned out that this dog had been returning to this particular area and was seen by a number of residents.
On Sunday, June 25, Jaelynn received a call from the North Berwick Police Department. Faith had been seen wondering in and out of a particular yard in North Berwick, close to Route 104. The officer stated that from time-to-time Faith would get close enough to take some cheese but was quite skittish and would then run away.
Jaelynn and Jay wasted no time in going to the house and meeting the homeowner with a Hav-a-Heart style cage that was set it up in the back yard and baited with cheese. Within a couple hours Faith did appear and cautiously entered the cage to eat. The door shut and Faith was safely confined.
It’s estimated that Faith’s 10+-mile journey to North Berwick took her past busy roads, railroad tracks, open fields and forests full of wild animals. Her odyssey left her with several porcupine quills in her nose, large patches of ticks on her body and a substantial loss of weight.
Since then, Faith has endured a number of vet visits, has regained her weight and her injuries have healed. Best of all, she has settled in well with her new owners, Jaelynn and Jay.
Jaelynn says she can’t thank the Casella team enough for their help in bringing Faith back to her. She truly believes the successful outcome is because of all their dedication and support.
