New Take on Existing Rule Bans Dogs Outright from Town Hall

A new interpretation of an existing local ordinance is raising hackles among some residents long accustomed to entering Town Hall with their canine pets in tow.

This 18-month-old Cockapoo was tied up outside Town Hall while his owner went to retrieve license. June is dog licensing month—those who do not renew or license their dogs by June 30 face a fine. Credit: Michael Dinan

In years past, during this the licensing season for dogs, the animals were allowed to enter the Town Clerk’s office with their owners when renewing a license or getting a new one.

But with the reopening of Town Hall following a major renovation and addition, New Canaan is enforcing more strictly a rule that’s been on the books for 12 years—a disappointment to Town Clerk Claudia Weber.

“It has been a time-honored tradition to come to the Town Clerk’s office every year with your dogs to get your dog license, and we give out biscuits,” Weber said. “When I first became Town Clerk [in 1998], I started something called the ‘Make Your Beagle Legal,’ and people would come in and I try to make that a mandated event, something that was fun and it gave government kind of a warm and friendly face.”

Several signs are posted to instruct visitors to Town Hall that dogs are not allowed inside the newly reopened building. Credit: Michael Dinan

Yet section 6.8.D of the Town Code now is being strictly enforced, as several ‘No Dogs Allowed’ signs at 77 Main St. make clear. It reads: “Dogs not allowed in public buildings. No person shall bring any dog into any Town-owned building, with the exception of Town-approved activities which invite the presence of animals.”

Asked about the change in interpretation, First Selectman Rob Mallozzi said he has never heard a complaint from the public about dogs at Town Hall, though there potentially is a liability issue should a situation with a dog arise inside the public building.

The ordinance itself had been adopted during a past administration, Mallozzi said, though there likely had been a precipitating factor to get the language created in the Town Code.

Technically speaking, he added, a dog’s presence is not required in order to have the animal licensed by the town. The language “Town-approved activities which invite the presence of animals” may include clinics such as tick removal or rabies vaccinations, or a K-9 demonstration at a school, Mallozzi said. (Dog owners can go here to get a dog licensing application online or to renew their dogs online.)

Weber said she’s hearing from disappointed dog owners that a direct connection between their pets and the Town Clerk is being severed.

“People are disappointed, and I’ve been trying to head people off because we don’t want people leaving their dogs sitting in hot cars [when they come in for a license],” Weber said.

In other cases, Weber said she’s seen dog owners arrive at the newly reopened Town Hall with leased dogs, then turn back and drive away after seeing the ‘No Dogs Allowed’ signs.

“We are respecting [the new interpretation] of the rule, since it’s a new building and I can understand,” Weber said.

One of those who is disappointed in the change is town resident Sara Koch, a New Canaanite for 15 years who was among the core group that was instrumental in creating Spencer’s Run at Waveny. The owner of Oxygen Fitness on Pine Street, Koch used to have two golden retrievers, Vegas and Reno, both of whom have passed, and now has a black Labrador retriever/border collie mix called ‘CC’ (short for “Carson City”) and a great Pyrenees mix named ‘Sugar’ (“because she’s so sweet.”)

“I always have loved the businesses that welcome in dogs because, especially in the summer months, it’s nice to not heave the dog in your car while you do errands,” Koch said. Dogs are welcome at Oxygen Fitness, she added.

Koch said she doesn’t understand the new interpretation of the rule regarding dogs at Town Hall and enjoyed bringing in her pets when renewing their licenses.

“This is a such a family-friendly town, so I never understand why dogs are prohibited from some places—it doesn’t make sense to me,” she said.