Animal 411

Elm Street Woman Threatens To Kill Neighbor’s Poodle

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An Elm Street woman last week told authorities she would “pepper spray” or “kill” a neighbor’s dog following an apparently false complaint that the animal had bitten her aide, police records show. At about 2:42 p.m. on Sept. 20 (a Sunday), police were called to a Prides Crossing condominium on a report of a dog bite, according to a case report filed by Officer Austin Malizia and obtained by NewCanaanite.com through a public records request. There, the complainant said she’d seen a woman bit outside the condo complex by her neighbor’s dog, the report said. 

The aide told police she was outside “when a black poodle came up to her and bit her in her leg,” the report said. The aide said “she was so startled, she fell over into the bushes,” it said.

Animal 411

Police Order Quarantine After Dog-on-Dog Bite at Waveny

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A Stamford dog finished a home quarantine ordered by New Canaan Police last week after receiving a complaint that the animal bit another canine at Waveny Park, records show. During the Sept. 5 incident at Spencer’s Run, a dog named ‘Gunther’ bit the complainant’s dog on the lip while resource-guarding a water bowl, according to a case report filed by Officer Sean Godejohn, head of the NCPD Animal Control section. The owner of the victim dog—a three-year-old, tricolor Bernese Mountain Dog male—phoned police the week after the biting to report it, Godejohn said in the case report. The victim dog is up-to-date on his vaccinations, it said.

Animal 411

NCPD Animal Control: Be Mindful of Dogs Amid Fireworks, Excessive Heat [Q&A]

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With dangerously high temperatures arriving this week and fireworks expected through Fourth of July weekend, the head of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section is urging dog owners to be mindful of their pets’ safety. We put some questions to Officer Sean Godejohn as temperatures soared into the mid-90s Wednesday afternoon. 

Here’s our exchange. ***

New Canaanite: The Fourth of July is almost here and it’s the nation’s 250th, so we may have additional fireworks displays going on. What would you say to dog owners about this time of year regarding their pets’ safety? Officer Sean Godejohn: In regards to the fireworks, dog owners should assume that themselves and their dogs will hear fireworks at some point on Friday or Saturday.

Animal 411

New Canaan Dog Bites Local Woman

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A local dog is undergoing a 10-day quarantine after biting its owner’s girlfriend during a walk in New Canaan, police records show. The dog—a brindle male Dutch shepherd type canine—bit the woman after becoming “reactive against another dog” during a walk on June 5 (a Friday), according to a case report filed by Officer Sean Godejohn, head of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section. Godejohn traveled to the New Canaan Fire Department to respond to the dog bite report. There, the victim already was in an ambulance being treated for the bite while “a bystander was holding the dog on leash” for her, he said in the case report, obtained by NewCanaanite.com through a public records request. “This officer took the dog immediately from the bystander once this officer established that she was not the dog owner,” the report said.

News

‘Stay Away from Wildlife’: Animal Control Issues Warning as Summer Nears

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As summer nears, New Canaan residents should be aware of wildlife that emerges in the warmer weather, officials say. 

Officer Sean Godejohn, head of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section, noted that the town has “coyotes, bobcats, deer and the occasional bear.” “Those animals should be reported to my office if seen,” Godejohn said. According to the Department of Energy & Environmental Protection, pet owners should be aware of coyotes as they can be not only a danger to children, but also dogs and cats. Residents should take precautions, Godejohn said. “Stay away from wildlife,” he said.