Allyson Halm

Animal Calls: Fox in Mudroom, Nuisance Dog, $92 Ticket for Roaming

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What follows is a summary of recent calls fielded by the Animal Control section of the New Canaan Police Department. 

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A Buttery Road woman phoned police at about 1:45 p.m. on Jan. 19 to report that a fox had entered her home with her two dogs after the pets had been let out into the yard. The fox lay down in the mudroom and started playing with one of the dogs’ toys, according to a police report. The woman took her dogs, a golden retriever as well as a puppy, out of the room and closed a door to ensure the fox could not get deeper into the house. 

Asked about the incident, Officer Allyson Halm, head of Animal Control, said it’s abnormal for a fox to behave in such a way, and that it could indicate early-stage rabies or that the animal has been fed by a human. The fox left the house before police arrived.

Animal 411

‘A Tame But Desperate Kitty’: Lost or Dumped Cat Appears Christmas Eve at Transfer Station

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A cat that may have been dumped around Christmas at the Transfer Station on Lakeview Avenue is now in custody of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section, officials said. Officer Allyson Halm, head of Animal Control, said she first noticed the orange-and-white cat on Christmas Eve, “cuddled against the wall” next to NCPD’s animal shelter, which is located at the Transfer Station. “It was there all day, it would talk to me and wink, but scatter when I approached,” Halm said. “Of course I fed him, or her, and it ate like it was starving.”

Over the holiday week, Halm found the cat waiting for her each day and the animal would again “eat like it hadn’t seen a meal.”

“I was able to get closer each day, it was obvious this was a tame but desperate kitty,” she said. 

Finally, on Monday, Halm managed to catch the cat and the animal is now inside the shelter staying warm. It isn’t clear just how the cat got to the shelter, whether the animal was dumped or lost, or how old or what sex the animal is. 

If no one claims the cat, it could become adoptable as soon as Jan.

Allyson Halm

‘Very Hard To Watch’: Deer Dragging ‘Leghold Trap’ Seen in New Canaan

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Officials say they’re concerned for the welfare of a deer that appears to be dragging a “leghold trap” from one of its hind legs. The young buck dragging the trap was spotted Tuesday on Pequot Lane, according to Officer Allyson Halm, head of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section. “He wasn’t moving too quickly,” Halm told NewCanaanite.com. “It was a pretty large trap and you could see the leg was swollen compared to the other one.”

The traps use a footplate and curved jaws that snap onto animals that spring them. Halm said the traps are not supposed to be placed where deer can get into them.

Animal 411

Roaming Peacock Returned to Ponus Ridge Home [UPDATED]

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Update 12 p.m. Wednesday

The owner of this peacock saw the story and the bird is now back in a pen at its Ponus Ridge home, according to Officer Allyson Halm of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section. The resident has four peacocks in all, she said. Original story

Police are urging the owner of a peacock spotted Monday afternoon wandering around a residential neighborhood in New Canaan to contact Animal Control officials about the exotic bird. The peacock was seen on Wahackme Road between Ponus Ridge and Myanos Road, according to Police Chief Leon Krolikowski. The animal eluded capture, he said.

Animal 411

Animal Calls: Four Dog Bites in New Canaan

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The New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section fielded reports of four dog bites in recent weeks. The following summaries are based on NCPD incident reports obtained by NewCanaanite.com through Freedom of Information requests. ***

A woman at about 11:47 a.m. on Sept. 22 contacted Officer Allyson Halm, head of Animal Control, saying that she’d been bitten the prior week by a Wheaten terrier she was caring for on West Road while the dog’s owners were away. The woman reported the bite after being told to do so by an attorney, according to a police report.