Animal 411

New Canaan Dog Bites Neighbor

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A New Canaan dog underwent a 10-day quarantine that finished this month after biting a neighbor, records show. The male black Labrador mixed-breed canine, a 6-year-old named “Fishwick,” was leashed when he bit a woman in their Heritage Hill Road condo complex, according to an incident report obtained by NewCanaanite.com through a public records request. 

The woman “told this officer that she was walking on the stairs near her apartment when the dog bit her,” Animal Control Officer Sean Godejohn said in the case report. She’d been “bit or scratched on the left arm, leg and back,” it said, and went to a health clinic on East Avenue for treatment. The woman knew Fishwick and Godejohn reached the dog’s owner. Fishwick is up-to-date on his vaccines and registered with the town, the report said.

Animal 411

Animal Control: License Your Dog or Risk $75 Fine

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The head of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section is urging residents to license their dogs this month. 

New Canaan typically has about 3,000 dogs licensed annually for the licensing period that starts July 1, according to Animal Control Officer Sean Godejohn. 

“A large portion of New Canaan residents do get their dogs licensed on time,” Godejohn told NewCanaanite.com. 

Referring to the annual figure of approximately 3,000 dogs, he added, “We could always do better.”

Dog owners can renew their dog licenses online here. The application for first-time licenses (and additional information) can be found here, on the Town Clerk’s page of the town website. Dog licensing is required by state law. “All dogs must have a dog license and display the tag on the dogs collar,” Godejohn said. “Failure to license is a $75 fine per dog.

Animal 411

Black Bear Sighted Friday in Area of Irwin Park

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The head of Animal Control in New Canaan is reminding residents to back away slowly and never turn their back on a bear if they come upon one while walking, following another sighting at Irwin Park last week. Multiple residents reported seeing a black bear in the Weed Street area of Irwin at around 7 p.m. last Friday. “Make yourself look large and make a lot of noise” if a bear is near while walking, according to Animal Control Officer Sean Godejohn. “If possible, get into your car, home or garage.”

New Canaan is seeing an increasing number of black bears because their overall population is rising steadily, Godejohn said. 

A black bear was seen last summer in Irwin. Black bears typically breed in late June or early July, according to the state.

Animal 411

FOUND: French Bulldog Missing in New Canaan [UPDATED]

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Update June 8
Zazu was found at about 6 p.m. Friday. She’s safe. ***

Original Article

The owners of an 11-year-old French bulldog that went missing Wednesday afternoon are asking for help locating her. Zazu went missing from the area of North Wilton and South Bald Hill Roads around 2:30 p.m. on June 5, according to owner George Thompson. The dog was staying with friends. She hasn’t gone missing before, he said.

Animal 411

Local Dog Quarantined After Biting Grocery Delivery Man

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A local dog underwent 10 days of quarantine at home after biting a grocery delivery man earlier this month, records show. The two-year-old Boxer mix attacked the man early on the afternoon of May 7, according to a New Canaan Police Department incident report obtained by NewCanaanite.com through a public records request. At about 2:18 p.m. that Tuesday, NCPD Animal Control Officer Sean Godejohn was dispatched to a Thurton Drive home on a complaint of a dog bite, the incident report said. The victim “told this officer that he was bit by a dog … while delivering groceries,” Godejohn said in the report. The man had gone around the back of the home through a closed gate to make the deliveries, it said.