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.

Animal 411

New Canaan Woman Fined After Her Dog Bites Neighbor

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Police last month cited a New Canaan woman for nuisance dog after her golden retriever mixed-breed dog bit a girl on her left hand, records show. At about 4:15 p.m. on April 20 (Monday), the Old Studio Road dog, a 7-year-old named ‘Zoey,’ “came to attack” a neighbor’s dog, the victim dog’s owner told police, according to a case report obtained by NewCanaanite.com through a public records request. 

The girl was bit while trying to separate the attacking dog from her own, an 8-year-old poodle mix type dog named ‘Ollie,’ according to the report, filed by Officer Sean Godejohn, head of the NCPD Animal Control section. She went to urgent care to tend to her hand injury, it said. 

Police contacted the attacking dog’s owner the next day, and she “admitted to this officer that her dog did bite [the girl].” The victim dog’s owner told Godejohn that she wasn’t sure whether Ollie also was injured. 

Both animals involved are up-to-date on their vaccinations, the report said. The infraction-level nuisance dog offense carries a fine of up to $100. Zoey also was quarantined at home for a 10-day period that ended April 30, the report said.

Animal 411

Labrador Retriever ‘Maxine’ Bites Dog at Spencer’s Run

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A New Canaan dog underwent a 10-day home quarantine this month after she bit an older canine at Spencer’s Run, records show. On March 31 (a Tuesday), the victim dog’s owner contacted the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section saying that her 12-year-old Chow Chow-mix dog had been bit on the ear at the dog park in Waveny, according to a case report obtained by NewCanaanite.com through a public records request. The biting dog is named ‘Maxine,’ the victim dog’s owner told police. The victim dog’s rabies vaccine was up-to-date, Animal Officer Sean Godejohn wrote in the incident report. He contacted the Recreation Department the same afternoon and found out that Maxine’s owner had “punched in his gate code earlier that day at Spencer’s Run,” the report said. 

Godejohn contacted Maxine’s owner, a Main Street resident, later that same day.

Animal 411

Report: ‘Mouse Infestation’ at Animal Shelter; No Fire Alarms, Smoke Detectors or Security Cameras at Facility

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There are no fire alarms or smoke detectors in the New Canaan Animal Shelter, which has a mice infestation, documents show. There also are no security cameras at the Animal Shelter, which was shuttered last month following a fire whose cause hasn’t been determined, according to a fire investigator’s report obtained by NewCanaanite.com through a public records request. 

Located in a former incinerator building at the Lakeview Avenue Transfer Station, a complex informally known as “the dump,” the Animal Shelter has been offline since a fire that was discovered at about 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 20. There were no animals in the building at the time and no one was injured. The shelter itself has had several ongoing problems, according to information contained in an incident report filed by Assistant Chief Russ Kimes, who was tapped by the Fire Department to conduct an investigation. 

Used primarily to house dumped, lost or abused dogs and cats, the shelter “does not have a monitored fire alarm system, and also does not have any local smoke detectors,” Kimes said in the report.

Animal 411

New Canaan Dog Undergoes Home Quarantine After Biting Amazon Delivery Woman

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A New Canaan dog this month finished a 10-day home quarantine after biting an Amazon delivery person, records show. Police were dispatched to Waveny regarding an animal bite on Feb. 21 (a Saturday), according to a case report filed by responding Officer Emily Clark, obtained by NewCanaanite.com through a public records request. On arrival, she met with the 23-year-old Norwalk woman and Amazon delivery driver, who had been dropping off a package at a Weed Street residence “when a dog nipped at her right leg,” according to the case report. Though she declined to receive medical attention, the woman “stated that she wanted to document the incident,” the report said.