Animal 411

‘This Was My Cue’: New Canaan Woman Adopts Two of Pregnant Stray’s Kittens

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After losing her beloved cat Mimi at nearly 15 years old last March, Marian Murphy knew her house needed cats. She’d had cats since moving to New Canaan more than 40 years ago, but planned to travel overseas in 2021 and wanted to wait to find her next one. Then the delta variant of COVID-19 virus emerged, making travel difficult.
Murphy read about a pregnant stray cat in New Canaan that gave birth to five healthy kittens—a feline named “Elsa,” since she was discovered on Cross Street at the time the tropical storm of that name that struck Connecticut—and “knew this was my cue.”

“Not only would I be able to get two kittens back to New Canaan where they were conceived but more importantly, my mother’s name had been Elsa also,” Murphy told NewCanaanite.com in an email. “She had passed away in April 2019 and I have not had a chance to see the family since then. Thus in my mind, Elsa’s kittens would create a bridge between my life here and what I had left behind.”

She contacted Warren-based Sophia L’Orange Kitten Rescue, which had taken in Elsa, and for several weeks kept track of the growing litter, eventually adopting a male (whom she named Tigger) and a female (Piccola).

Animal 411

Police Cite Canoe Hill Road Woman After Two Dog-Biting Incidents

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Police last month cited a Canoe Hill Road woman for two counts of nuisance dog after her Australian cattle dogs bit a UPS deliveryman multiple times on the arms, sending him to an urgent care facility. One of the dogs, a two-year-old named “George” (the other one is “Lenny”) already had bitten a passing neighbor the month before, after his vaccination for rabies had expired, according to police reports obtained by NewCanaanite.com through public records requests. The dogs first came on the radar of police Sept. 2, when a Canoe Hill Road neighbor phoned police that she found a dog roaming her property and “acting aggressively toward her,” according to an incident report from Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm. The neighbor heard a someone calling out “George” and at that time the dog left, the report said.

Animal 411

Rule-Breakers Prompt Town To Install New Sign at Dog Park Regarding Prohibition on Young Children

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Saying some of those who use the dog run at Waveny are breaking a rule that prohibits young children from entering the fenced-in area, officials are planning to install an even more explicit sign there. This wording already appears on a “Rules of the Dog Park” sign outside Spencer’s Run: “Children under five are prohibited from entering Spencer’s Run—no exceptions. This is for the protection of the children.”

Yet recently, Parks & Recreation Commissioner George Benington said, when he’s gone to the popular dog run “there have been some not-so-bright adults who have been bringing in some of their toddlers.”

Addressing the full Commission during its Nov. 10 meeting, Benington asked whether a dedicated sign saying “No children under the age of five” could be posted at the gated entrance to Spencer’s Run. “One mother gives us some pushback in there,” he said at the meeting, held via videoconference. 

Recreation Director Steve Benko said that although the rules of the park are spelled out on the gate, people don’t read them.

Allyson Halm

‘Everyone Is Doing Very, Very Well’: Neglected Butler Lane Dogs, One Year Later [PHOTOS]

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One year after authorities seized 12 dogs from a New Canaan house, rescuing them from an animal cruelty situation where three puppies already had died, officials say the animals are thriving in new homes. 

The two Poodles, one Yorkie and nine Maltese puppies, as well as two Maltese adults, an intact male and female, were seized by town officials on Nov. 17, 2020, after they learned that a local woman, Catherine Palmer, had been operating an illegal pet store while keeping puppies in an unsanitary environment, lying to veterinarians about their health and denying the animals access to medical care, according to court documents. 

“They were very, very lucky to meet this fate and not the fate that was planned for them,” New Canaan Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm told NewCanaanite.com on occasion of the one-year anniversary of the seizure. “Very, very lucky.”

She thanked many of the individuals and organizations that assisted in caring for the dogs in the days, weeks and months following their seizure. Following months of hearings, a state Superior Court judge granted the town of New Canaan full legal custody of the animals in January, and they’ve been adopted out to loving homes in Connecticut and other parts of New England, Halm said. “I am so grateful for CERT [Community Emergency Response Team], Connecticut Westport Human Society and Stratford Animal Control and their STARS [Stratford Animal Rescue Society], who came to my rescue,” Halm said.

Around Town

Letters to the Editor

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NewCanaanite.com recently received the following letters to the editor. ***

Editor:

The season of Thanksgiving brings about a great opportunity to give thanks to all elected and appointed members of our community who volunteer to serve through our Town’s boards, commissions, and committees. It has been an honor to serve alongside of all these individuals over the course of my first year as a Selectman and I am most thankful for the encouragement and support from the electorate last week. 

I look forward to continuing to represent and serve our entire community on the Board of Selectmen with my colleagues Nick Williams and First Selectman Kevin Moynihan. 

I would also like to congratulate all the newly elected members of the Town Council and Board of Education – thank you for your perspective and valued contributions to our Town. 

Finally, regardless of the election outcome, I am thankful to all candidates who demonstrated their willingness and commitment to serve our community. We are indeed fortunate for the time, talent, unique perspectives, and collaboration that so many of our volunteers provide our Town and for which I am most grateful. Best wishes and Happy Thanksgiving to all. 

Kathleen A. Corbet
Selectman, Town of New Canaan

***

These [American Rescue Plan Act] funds are intended for use to repair damage to COVID related community entities and spur downtown community revitalization.