New Canaan’s animal shelter is out-of-use following a fire last week, officials say.
Located at the Transfer Station, the shelter building had no animals in it at the time of the fire, according to Officer Sean Godejohn, head of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section.
The fire was reported at 12:40 p.m. on Feb. 20.
The NCPD Animal Control shelter at the Transfer Station in 2018. Credit: Michael Dinan
“As of right now the shelter is not being used until the smoke damage is cleaned,” Godejohn told NewCanaanite.com. Wilton Animal Control will house lost and discarded pets until the shelter is back up, he said.
It isn’t clear what caused the blaze.
Fire Marshal Paul Payne said, “The cause of the fire at the animal shelter has been difficult and remains undetermined at this time.”
New Canaan Department of Emergency Management Director Russ Kimes is investigating the incident.
Described as “decrepit” by former Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm, the shelter is located in a disused incinerator building. Flagged by then-Selectman Nick Williams in 2019 as “dark and dank” and “a dump within a dump,” the condition of the shelter that New Canaan Police use to house stray or rescued pets re-emerged in 2020 when authorities seized 12 neglected dogs, including 10 puppies, from a Butler Lane home. That led to discussions about five years ago among town officials about a rebuilt or relocated animal shelter, but such a project never materialized.
It is quite remarkable to me that a town like New Canaan, who typically doesn’t hesitate to take positive steps to care for most anyone or anything, is seemingly unprepared or unwilling to care for stray animals. This is a shame and an issue that certainly should be addressed.
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated” – Mahatma Ghandi.
We should be able to do better than this here in town.
Is there ANY possibility the Animal Control Center gets an update/facelift??? Maybe there’s an insurance claim for the fire that would help?
For years the great Town of New Canaan, Station Next to Heaven, has shamefully neglected to make the animal shelter a safe place to care for frightened lost, tosed out animals. There is plenty of money to beautiful anything and everything in this town. No excuse for this intended “abuse” of animals. Let’s keep an update going on every next step….if there is one! Thank you for writing about this so residents are informed.
Consider this matter at the next election time.