Local Woman Charged After Citation for Failure To Have Dog Vaccinated for Rabies [UPDATED]

[Note: The arrested woman’s name has been removed from this article.]

A 56-year-old New Canaan woman turned herself in to police Tuesday morning on an active warrant for failure to respond to an infraction. The woman had been cited by Fairfield Police in November for failure to vaccinate her dog for rabies. At about 12:34 p.m. on Nov. 1, a Thursday, an officer during a routine dog compliance check at Lake Mohegan in Fairfield saw her walking a black Labrador mixed-breed dog in the parking lot, according to a Fairfield Police incident report. The dog had no license or rabies tag, as required by law, according to the incident report.

New Canaan Woman Charged with Animal Cruelty

Fairfield police on Tuesday arrested a 31-year-old New Canaan woman by warrant and charged her with five counts of animal cruelty, two months after finding the remains of dogs in crates inside the Fairfield home where she had been residing. Heidi Lueders, now of Marshall Ridge Road, additionally was charged with first-degree criminal damage to a landlord’s property by a tenant, according to a press release issued by Fairfield Police Capt. Robert Kalamaras. 

Police launched an investigation on the afternoon of Nov. 14 after responding to a report of animal cruelty at 37 Prince St. in Fairfield. There, officers found “several animal carcasses, which are believed to be canine remains, in crates within the residence,” Kalmaras said in the release. 

“Fairfield Animal Control Officers and Detectives responded to the house to further investigate.