Animal 411

New Canaan Animal Control: Look Out for Increased Deer Activity This Fall

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The head of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section is urging residents to be aware of increased wildlife activity this fall. With the mating or “rutting” season approaching, Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm said residents should be aware of deer on the roads and woods. “Keep an eye out for wildlife that is being displaced,” Halm told NewCanaanite.com. “There will be a lot more road crossings, for sure.”

Halm said four deer were spotting crossing Marvin Ridge Road on a recent morning and that “the anxiety level rises in the wildlife” this time of year. 

Part of the reason is that the archery deer-hunting season is underway. 

“There will be hunters in tree stands,” Halm said. The shotgun-rifle-revolver season for deer-hunting on private land runs Nov.

Allyson Halm

Animal Control: Dog Abandoned at Irwin Park Re-Homed; Found Cat Adoptable Next Week [UPDATED]

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Update Sept. 2

The cat impounded earlier in the week has been returned to her family. “Cali” had been missing since July 25, Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm said. Original Story

A young black Labrador retriever mix that appeared to have been dumped in Irwin Park on Aug. 13 is being adopted through a reputable rescue organization, officials say. 

The estimated 3-year-old female dog is “very, very sweet,” according to Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm.

Allyson Halm

Animal Control Roundup: Goose Struck by Car, Dogs Attack Woodchuck

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The Animal Control section of the New Canaan Police Department last month issued a $136 infraction summons to a Stamford man who has repeatedly allowed his dog to roam off-leash at Waveny. The ticket was finally issued on the morning of July 6, when Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm saw the Rhodesian Ridgeback off-leash again near the area formerly known as the “cornfields.” The man has had multiple warnings in the past, police said. Here are other recent animal-related incidents in New Canaan:

Last Monday, a motor vehicle struck and killed a goose on Pocconock Trail. The call originally came in from a passerby as an injured goose but the animal was dead when police arrived on scene, officials said. The motorist who struck the goose wasn’t the person who contacted authorities. 

A sick raccoon was dispatched recently after trapping itself inside a Metro-North Railroad power grid apparatus off of Pine Street, near the train station downtown.

Allyson Halm

Animal Control: Leave Dogs Inside at Home During Fireworks, High Heat 

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With the Fourth of July arriving Monday, the head of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section is urging residents to be mindful of their dogs’ wellbeing. Dogs became very frightened and agitated by the “loud bangs and noise” of fireworks that “goes on for weeks,” according to Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm. “We encourage people to not take their dogs to the fireworks, leave them home,” she said. “Preferably with the AC on and some music going, so that they can find some relief from the noise. The same goes for backyard fireworks.

Allyson Halm

Animal Control: Black Bear Sightings Reported in Eastern New Canaan

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Police say a bear who walked over a newly sealed driveway on Valley Road left tracks behind the residence. The incident occurred June 10, the same day police received a second report of sighting of a black bear on the east side of New Canaan, on Sleepy Hollow Road, according to Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm. 

The number of black bears appearing in New Canaan each spring has been rising, according to Halm. She encourages residents to use horns or otherwise make loud noises to haze bears away from residential properties. (Bears often are drawn to residences by bird feeders.) 

Halm noted on a recent podcast about spring wildlife in New Canaan that black bears were sighted in town in April. And in February, a black bear had been seen on Smith Ridge Road near the New York State line, likely roused from its winter slumber by a string of unseasonably warm days.