By Justin Wilder, Special to the Neighb News
In 2017, Terry Cripps arrived for the first day (of his second stint) on the job. On September 6th, he will leave that job for the final time. Fairhaven’s longtime Animal Control Officer is retiring.
“I won’t lie, I’m probably going to cry.” said Mr. Cripps about leaving the Fairhaven Animal Shelter that has been such a huge part of his life over the last decade plus. “I’ll probably go through withdrawals.”
Mr. Cripps and his wife are moving to Texas as she has been offered a new job opportunity.
When asked if he was going to be wrangling any armadillos down there, he replied with a smile and said, “No, I think I’m going to find myself a job that I can leave at the end of the day and not be available all the time.”
Animal Control Officer is no normal 9-to-5 position. It is an extraordinary commitment.
“This job is 24/7. You’re always on call,” said Mr. Cripps as he was actively assembling a new habitat for a small animal. “Getting an assistant really helped. Having someone to cover you if you need some relief, was a big help.”
While there is no official succession plan at this time, Mr. Cripps hopes his assistant will be
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- Fairhaven Animal Control Officer, Terry Cripps, receives a kiss from a ferret while showing him off to shelter visitor, Gavin, on 8/22/25. Photo by Justin Wilder for the Fairhaven Neighborhood News.
considered for the position due to her knowledge of what is required for the job.
“Everything I learned on the job was self-taught.” said Mr. Cripps of his early days as ACO.
After a briefer stint at the position from 2013 into 2015, when Mr. Cripps discovered, “I can’t work for politicians,” he returned when the ACO position was placed under the control of the Fairhaven Police Department.
“Best thing they did was putting me under the PD,” he said. “Having them back me up meant everything.”
“I’ve seen some bad and a lot of good in this town. Mostly good,” Mr. Cripps said.
Recalling one of his best moments, he shared the story of when the “no kill” shelter took in two dogs, “Winter” and “Sheba”. After noticing Sheba’s irregular walk it was discovered that she required a $9,000 knee surgery. “The community came together and raised the money in two days.”
“It was probably my proudest day on the job,” said about watching the two dogs leave the shelter after Sheba made a full recovery and they were both adopted,
Mr. Cripps is aware of the town’s current financial issues and is concerned about talk of closing the shelter.
“I hope they look elsewhere. I hope the town can find the funds. I would fight tooth and nail to keep this place open. I consider the shelter my legacy,” he said.
Volunteers, coworkers, friends and family gathered for a surprise party on August 25th. Many fought back tears as they shared sentiments about Mr. Cripps.
“It has been the greatest pleasure to work with Terry. I am forever sad he’s leaving,” said volunteer Jill Manzone.
“I hope to be half the ACO he is someday,” said Assistant ACO, Kelsey Figueiredo.
“The best ACO in the world,” said Donna Motta. “He’s helped me with my runaway cows! I’m happy for him but sad for the town.”
“Hands down the best guy with the animals and with the people,” said Joan Frye.
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- Fairhaven Animal Control Officer, Terry Cripps, shows his affection for a young dog at the shelter on 8/22/25, just a couple of weeks before he is set to retire on 9/6/25. Photo by Justin Wilder for the Fairhaven Neighborhood News.
Volunteer Angela Gallagher joked that she’ll miss hearing Mr. Cripps’ famous adoption sales pitch: “I’ve never seen (him/her) do that with anyone but you!”
While sharing a heartwarming story about his commitment to a particular dog, volunteer Paula Coffey said: “His soul is pure. Fairhaven is losing a gift.”
As he makes his way to his new Lone Star State home, Mr. Cripps leaves behind a body of work in this community that can be heard every time a child laughs playing with their newly adopted dog in the sunshine and felt each time a senior is comforted by their cuddling adopted cat on a cold winter evening. It is a feeling of connection and love between the animals and their owners that was fostered by Mr. Cripps and the dedicated volunteers at the Fairhaven Animal Shelter. To those of us who have felt it, we owe Mr. Cripps and his tireless work a great deal of gratitude.
Best wishes to Mr. and Mrs. Cripps on your new adventure! The residents of the town of Fairhaven, including the furry, scaled and feathered ones, thank you for all you’ve done.
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- Volunteers of the Fairhaven Animal Shelter pose for a photo at the retirement party of long time Animal Control Officer, Terry Cripps (SEATED CENTER), on 8/25/25. Photo by Justin Wilder for the Fairhaven Neighborhood News.
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