Local veterinarian to help New Canaan Animal Control
NEW CANAAN — The Board of Selectmen approved a lease Tuesday with the New Canaan Veterinary Hospital to house animals when needed after they are picked up by Animal Control or the Police Department.
When speaking with the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, Police Chief Leon Krolikowski described using the animal hospital as a “Plan B” to the New Canaan Animal Shelter at the Transfer Station compound. The town would be responsible for one $50 payment when an animal is required to stay one night at the hospital at 7 Vitti St.
“This is a nice addition to our ability to take care of New Canaan’s animals,” the chief said.
He called the present shelter “adequate,” but if the present building came “under sufficient disrepair” or during extremely cold weather, the town could use the animal hospital. “It would have helpful to have this in place a few months ago when a water line broke,” and there was no access to water at the shelter, Krolikowski said.
In the past few years, questions have been raised about the suitability of the shelter that is located in an old incinerator building at 139 Lakeview Ave.
The 800-square-foot animal shelter dates back to the 1950s and was repurposed in 2008, according to the 2017 Building Evaluation Report.
Over a three-year period, there was an average of 47 animals a year brought to the facility. During that span, 96 percent of the animals stayed in the facility for 24 hours or less, the chief said.
The town will land its own kennel at the New Canaan Veterinary Hospital specifically to be used by Animal Control. The police department and the hospital are still working out best procedures and access for the town to bring animals in after hours.
This agreement will be “pretty much a cost-neutral solution,” as the town collects a fee from the owner of the animal when it is collected, the chief said.
Earlier this year, the town had considered other locations for the animal shelter, including the white house at Kiwanis Park.
Selectman Kathleen Corbet asked if the chief would consider this arrangement as a replacement for the present facility.
If the current shelter came in “substantial disrepair, maybe,” it could become a “a semi-permanent solution,” the chief said.
The present Animal Control officer Allyson Halm “believes our current shelter is adequate, given current conditions,” the chief said.
Earlier this year, Halm told the Police Commission the building is “adequate.” She also told Hearst Connecticut Media that it “can be better, and I believe that is what the public wants.”
Selectman Nick Williams called the shelter “a dump in a dump” in October 2019.
A spotlight was aimed at the shelter over last winter when 12 dogs were seized from Catherine “Cassie” Palmer, a Greenwich resident, who was arrested on animal cruelty charges after aledgely running an illegal pet store.
As a result of the seizure, five puppies were kept at the animal shelter until the courts granted permission that they were to be released to new homes.
The dogs were cared for by Animal Control and volunteers, including members of the Community Emergency Response Team, who took shifts from early morning into the late evening.
The selectmen approved the lease unanimously, but it may need to be approved by the Town Council, First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said.