‘A Very Good Dog’: Police Department’s New K-9, Apollo, Makes Waveny Debut

New Canaan’s first K-9 Police dog in more than two years started his patrol on our nation’s birthday on Saturday, at the 35th annual Family Fourth celebration at Waveny. Apollo, a full-breed German Shepherd dog, has been with his partner, Officer David Rivera for 2.5 months, and lives with Rivera at his house. He is cross-trained as a patrol dog who also has a narcotics certification, the police officer said. Apollo will assist police in finding missing items, persons, and also locating narcotics. “His ability to find people, I would say, is the best tool that is going to be brought to the town,” said Officer Rivera.

Brooke Landeck the 8-Year-Old Labradoodle: Eats Hard Food Mixed with Soft

In this installment of “New Canine-ites,” featuring spot profiles of local dogs, we speak to town resident Bob Landeck about Brooke, an 8-year-old Labradoodle that he’s had since she was five. Acquired after Brooke’s original family discovered the animal wasn’t a good fit, the Labradoodle is a “great dog,” Landeck said on a recent afternoon from a grandstand at Waveny’s Orchard Field, while watching his daughter start at third base for the varsity New Canaan High School Rams softball team. “I don’t need a leash with her,” he said. “She is nice to anyone and great around kids.”

An enthusiastic fetcher, Brooke’s favorite places around town include both Irwin and Waveny. Asked what type of food his dog eats, Landeck answered: “Dog food.” He later clarified that he picks up hard and soft food from Pet Pantry downtown and mixes the two together.

Molly the Bernese-Shepherd Mix: ‘Sometimes She Likes to Chew’

Molly Dixon, an 11-week-old German shepherd and Bernese mountain dog mix, may be the cutest puppy on Elm Street since the Bratches’ Labrador retrievers, Bruno and Winston. Mom Heather Dixon, stopped Tuesday afternoon by NewCanaanite.com near Chef Luis on Elm Street, said people downtown drop everything they’re doing to say hello when they spot Molly. “It happens all the time,” she said as her 5-year-old son Josh knelt with the Dixons’ newest family member. The puppy is “really fun and sweet,” Molly said, and Josh, a Camp Playland preschooler who will enter the kindergarten at West School in the fall, added: “Sometimes she likes to chew.”

The teething beast is a client of the New Canaan Veterinary Hospital, mom said, and eats a puppy science diet kibble.

George the Shar Pei: Food Undergoes the Pendulum Test

We came across our newest subject for the standing feature “New Canine-ites,” profiling local dogs, at Waveny on Monday afternoon. It’s rare to see a Shar Pei in New Canaan, and George Zabrodsky is a great example of the breed. He’s seven years old and belongs to owner Rowena Zabrodsky, along with Tiger Lily, a 12-year-old pug. Originally from Florida and a Zabrodsky and New Canaan resident (they’ve been living here 16 years) since he was a puppy, George is “sort of ADD,” his owner told us when asked about the handsome fella’s personality. “So he’s not very good at training,” Zabrodsky said.

Lucas the Labrador Puppy: First Time in the Vintage Truck

In a first for our feature profiling local dogs, New Canine-ites, we spotlight here a canine that is not a town resident but is certain to become a fixture downtown, his owner tells us. Lucas, age 3.5 months, is a chocolate Labrador retriever from Boothbay, Maine. We spotted the puppy on a recent afternoon at Zumbach’s with owner Matt DeGarmo of Norwalk, who deals in vintage cars. Named for a childhood dog that DeGarmo had in the 1960s (the original Lucas was a German shepherd and golden retriever mix), the puppy was in town for the first time ever and—after a final distemper shot—he’ll be around a lot more to mix with other dogs and people in a busy setting, DeGarmo said. Asked what Lucas is like, he said: “I’ve had several Labradors before and I would say typically as a puppy he’s got lots and lots of energy, and also he’s incredibly brave and he’s not frightened by anything.