Animal 411

Moynihan: Animal Shelter Is Actually a Police Commission Issue

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More than one year after concerns about the condition of New Canaan’s animal shelter were raised publicly, and weighing in multiple times, First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said last week that the facility falls within the jurisdiction of an appointed town body, not him. People should voice their concerns about the shelter—a non-insulated former incinerator building, located at the town dump—to the Police Commission, Moynihan said during a Dec. 15 meeting of the Board of Selectmen. “There has been lot of chatter about animal shelter,” Moynihan said during the meeting, held via videoconference. “People don’t realize that the Police Commission doesn’t report to me and the animal control officer reports to the police chief, and I think if there’s issues that we want to raise here, people should raise them with the Police Commission,” he said.

Allyson Halm

PHOTO: Bobcats Seen on Marvin Ridge Road

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Three bobcats were spotted this week on Marvin Ridge Road—the sixteenth sighting of the species this year, according the to New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section. The trio likely is composed of a mother bobcat and her two kittens, Officer Allyson Halm said. “There is a lot of good habitat,” Halm said, referring to the Hoyt Swamp, which runs between Marvin Ridge Road and Route 123 just north of the Merritt Parkway. “They tend to hide away, though sightings seem to be more common now.”
She added, “It seems like they are just getting more comfortable around us.”

Asked what residents should know about bobcats, Halm said, “They certainly don’t have predatory instincts like coyotes do for other canines or felines. They are strictly rodent eaters, bird eaters.

Allyson Halm

Judge Finds Neglect, Grants Town Temporary Custody of 12 Seized Dogs

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Saying the owner of 12 dogs seized by police last month has been neglectful in caring for the animals, a state Superior Court judge on Monday awarded temporary custody to the town. In petitioning the court for ownership, the town through remote hearings demonstrated “multiple aspects of neglect and disregard for the welfare of the animals” by 48-year-old Catherine Palmer, Judge Kenneth B. Povodator wrote in his decision. 

“To varying degrees, the animals were deprived of adequate veterinary care, assurance of adequate and proper food, and cleanliness of environment and their bodies, with no basis to suggest that these were isolated instances,” Povodator wrote in his conclusion. “The plaintiff has established neglect.”

A final hearing on the custody of the 10 small-breed puppies and two adult dogs is scheduled for Dec. 18. Palmer, in a related though separate criminal case, has been charged with three counts of animal cruelty connected to the deaths in September of three puppies at 151 Butler Lane.

Animal 411

Police: Another Puppy Died after Palmer Made Thanksgiving Weekend Drop-Offs to Buyers 

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Police say that prior to turning herself in Sunday on an active arrest warrant following the deaths of three puppies at her New Canaan home, Catherine Palmer traveled throughout the region with a vehicle full of puppies, making deliveries to people who’d purchased them. One of those puppies died last weekend, according to police. Palmer, 48, is accused of operating an illegal pet store, neglecting dogs and denying them access to medical care. Following a months-long investigation, police on Nov. 12 obtained a state Superior Court judge’s signature on a warrant charging her with three counts of felony cruelty to animals.

Allyson Halm

‘Dark and Dank’: Moynihan, Williams at Odds Over State of NCPD Animal Shelter

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Two of New Canaan’s highest elected officials are at odds over the condition of the facility that police use to house stray or seized domestic animals. Selectman Nick Williams said Tuesday that the building New Canaan Police Department long have used as an animal shelter, a non-insulated former incinerator building at the dump, is not “worthy” of the town. “I think the ‘town pound,’ if you will, is dark and dank,” Williams said during a regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen, adding, “We could do better.”

First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said, “I wouldn’t characterize it as dark and dank.”

Williams said, “Have you been in there?”

Moynihan answered, “I went over and looked at it.” He added, “The key is, it’s used very little but it’s humane.”

Williams introduced the topic toward the end of the selectmen meeting, held via videoconference, during a section dedicated to general comments. He referenced a widely discussed neglect case which last month saw police seize 12 dogs from a Butler Lane home following a months-long investigation. The town has petitioned state Superior Court to take formal ownership of the animals.