Animal 411

Bobcats Seen on New Norwalk and Beech Roads

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A new photo of two bobcats casually standing on the deck of a New Norwalk Road home has town officials concerned about the animals’ welfare. 

Taken at a residence near Route 123’s intersection with Carter Street, the photo of what appears to be an adult bobcat and kitten indicates that “they are way too comfortable getting that close to a dwelling,” according to Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm. “I have real concerns and I want to put it out there that feeding the wildlife is wrong and dangerous and sort of a death sentence for these creatures,” Halm told NewCanaanite.com. “We cannot have them hanging out on a deck.”

She added, “I have real concerns that people are feeding these cats and that is a big mistake.”

The homeowner who took the photo is not feeding the bobcats, Halm said. That homeowner said the animals weren’t scared away even by an air horn and “just sauntered off” when usually hazing techniques were used, she said. Separately, home surveillance video on nearby Beech Road captured a bobcat walking past the residence before dawn Monday, according to footage shared by the homeowner. 

Bobcats began to appear with more frequency in New Canaan around 2014, and since then Halm has said she’s seen what appear to be families of bobcats establishing dens here.

Allyson Halm

Unvaccinated ‘Shih-Poo’ Bites Police Officer 

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A Shih Tzu mix whose rabies vaccine had expired bit a police officer in a Cross Street apartment, records show. Officers around 8:11 a.m. on Sept. 25 (a Saturday) were responding to a noise complaint at 16 Cross St. when a small white dog—a Shih Tzu-poodle or ‘Shih Poo’ mix named Kokbe—began barking at them “making it difficult to hear anyone speak,” according to a police incident report obtained by NewCanaanite.com through a public records request. “I then attempted to usher the dog towards a bedroom so that it could be confined and separated from us,” the officer’s incident report continued.

Allyson Halm

Lab Mixes Fight in Spencer’s Run

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A pair of neutered mixed-breed Labrador retrievers fought at the Waveny dog park on a Monday afternoon two weeks ago, records show, sending one of them to an animal hospital. 

At about 3 p.m. on Sept. 27, Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm received a voicemail from the victim dog’s owner about the incident, according to a case report obtained by NewCanaanite.com through a public records request. 

According to the Stamford woman, she and her husband entered the park with their two-year-old dog, Ragnar, and leash-walked him toward the back of the park, Halm said in the incident report. There, they came across a Darien man with Jack, a one-year-old, the report said. The woman told Halm that “the two dogs began to sniff and interact” when Jack started growling and the fight broke out, the report said. The owners separated the animals, but Ragnar had already sustained an injury to his right ear, which was bleeding, the report said.

Animal 411

Mama Black Bear and Two Cubs Seen Thursday in New Canaan

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A mother black bear and two cubs were seen Thursday morning on a Father Peters Lane property, officials say, raising new concerns about the animal’s presence here. A mom with her young ones “could be a little more protective” than black bears normally are, according to Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm. “We certainly want to keep our distance but do make noise and try to get them to move along quickly,” she said. “And if you see any animals please call in your dogs.”

Halm has said New Canaan is seeing an increasing number of black bears appear each spring. The first reported bear sighting of 2021 came in June, on Briscoe Road.

Animal Control

Selectmen Approve Animal Shelter Agreement with Local Vet

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Town officials last week approved a lease with a local veterinarian for the temporary housing animals that are lost, abandoned or otherwise come into possession of the Animal Control section of the New Canaan Police Department. The Board of Selectmen voted 3-0 at its Sept. 21 meeting to approve the lease between the town and DBL-P, LLC, more commonly known as New Canaan Veterinary Hospital on Vitti Street. The three-page lease allows police to house animals at the vet at $50 per day per animal. “It’s kind of like a Plan B for us, right now,” Police Chief Leon Krolikowski told the selectmen at their meeting, held in Town Hall and via videoconference. 

“The shelter is adequate, but if a condition comes up where we believe it is not adequate due to the weather or some other circumstance, like when the water line broke several months ago, then we would be able to use this facility for our animals.