Allyson Halm

Police: Leashed Dog Bites New Canaan Boy, 12 [UPDATED]

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Update 12 p.m. July 15

The dog has been identified and has up-to-date vaccinations. Officials say the boy had been walking on a trail along Old Norwalk Road located near the park. Original story 2:15 p.m. July 14

Police are seeking help identifying a dog that bit a New Canaan boy Monday evening in the area of Kiwanis Park. At about 6:30 p.m. on July 13, a medium-sized black dog on a leash bit a 12-year-old boy, according to Officer Allyson Halm, head of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section. 

A woman described as white and middle-aged with light-colored hair was leash-walking the biting dog and another one, said to be medium-sized  and colored gray and black, Halm said in a press release. The situation is “time-sensitive,” she said.

Animal 411

Police Advise Residents To Avoid Waveny Trails, Tall Grass Areas After Coyote Bites Woman Thursday

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Police are urging Waveny visitors to avoid trails and areas of tall grass Thursday after a coyote bit a woman walking her dog there in the morning. At about 6:30 a.m., a woman was bit in the backside by a coyote near the walled garden east of Waveny House, according to police. Officer Allyson Halm, head of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section, said it’s unclear at this point whether the coyote is sick or was exhibiting “escorting” behavior while denning. “If it’s a den situation, I’m not sure where it is,” Halm said. 

She’s patrolling the park today and warning walkers to be alert. The woman who was bit declined to undergo medical treatment but is seeking medical advice, officials said.

Animal 411

Cruelty to Animals Charge for Man, 55, After Dog Rescued from Hot Car

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Police on Thursday evening charged a 55-year-old Danbury man with cruelty to animals after he left a dog in a hot car at the train station. At about 4:40 p.m., officers were dispatched to the Lumberyard lot on a report of a dog inside a parked vehicle, police said. 

Responding officers saw an unoccupied car, not running, with its windows all up and the interior windows fogged over, with a dog inside, its tongue sticking out and breathing heavily, according to a police report. The officers opened the door to get the dog out, and the animal “was displaying signs of distress,” the report said. Police transported the animal to Norwalk Emergency Veterinary Care Center for evaluation and treatment of dehydration. An onlooker told NewCanaanite.com that the dog was a Weimaraner and that after exiting the vehicle the animal immediately relieved himself, at length.

Allyson Halm

Black Bear Sighted in New Canaan As Wildlife Activity Increases [UPDATED]

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[Editor’s Note: As indicated in our captions on the bear photos, we heard from a 12-year-old New Canaan resident who asked us to name the animal ‘George.’ In an email sent Monday, Leo Mikkola-Patel wrote, in part, “I am a twelve year old writing from quarantine and I think that in these crazy times people would appreciate some humor in their lives.” Asked how he chose the name ‘George,’ Leo said it’s his friend’s name.]

Animal Control officials are urging residents to be aware of wildlife following the sighting Sunday morning of a black bear in New Canaan. 

The sighting on Woodridge Circle, the first of the year as spring gets underway in earnest, coincides with a rise in coyote, fox and snapping turtle activity, according to Officer Allyson Halm, head of the New Canaan Police Department Animal Control section. 

New Canaan has seen black bear activity each spring for the past several years. The bear likely was a young male looking for new territory, Halm said. “We know bears love birdseed, so we encourage people, especially this time of year, to bring the birdseed in or have a pulley system to pull it up high,” Halm told NewCanaanite.com.

Business

Local Businesses and COVID-19: New Canaan Veterinary Hospital 

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For today’s Q&A with a local business owner, we talk to town resident Dr. Paul Potenza of New Canaan Veterinary Hospital. Established 70 years ago, the Vitti Street veterinary practice is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday. 

Here’s our interview. New Canaanite: Tell me about how you’re operating now. Dr. Paul Potenza: We cut ourselves back to essential services only, which is only the veterinary and the medical-surgical side of it. So we shut down the kennel.