NOTABLE ANIMAL CONTROL CALL OF THE WEEK
At about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, the ’s Animal Control unit received a call of a snapping turtle that had been run over by a car and killed on Hickock Road.
“What happens with turtles at this time of year is the females are coming out of the water and laying eggs on dry land, so they’re there for a period of time and then go back to the pond and they’re done,” Mary Ann Kleinschmitt, New Canaan’s animal control officer, told Patch.
The turtle on Hicock was dead when police arrived, Kleinschmitt said.
Motorists often get impatient with turtles crossing the street, because they move so slowly, Kleinschmitt said. But it doesn’t help at all to place them back on the side where they were, because instinctively mother turtles need to lay their eggs near but still away from the water (many of their eggs are destroyed/eaten by birds in any case).
It’s not an uncommon occurrence in Fairfield County. This week in Monroe, a , according to police up there.
Kleinschmitt said she had a recent call also about a woman concerned about a snapping turtle on her property. All Animal Control could say about it was that the turtle just wanted to lay eggs and that it was up to the homeowner whether to destroy the eggs or not.
ANIMAL CALLS
May 17
- At 4:41 p.m., a roaming dog was reported at 128 Marshall Ridge Road, a black Labrador retriever that didn’t have its tags on, so that the dog had to be taken in overnight by Animal Control.
May 18
- At 11:47 a.m., a visiting dog from New York City was reported at 27 Turtle Back Lane East to be roaming in the area. The pit bull mix had no tags, licensing or microchip. Police were able to verify the owner and returned the animal to that individual, Kleinschmitt said.
- At 8:29 p.m., police received a report of a sick raccoon in the front yard of 72 Norholt Drive. The animal apparently was not there when police arrived.
May 19
- At 5:40 p.m., police received a complaint about a barking dog in the area of 30 Strawberry Hill Road. According to Kleinschmitt, the dogs— in “Animal Reports”—are English setters.
MILK SNAKES IN TOWN
Speaking of Monroe, a family up there last week also found what it thought was a baby Boa Constrictor, but an Animal Control officer identified it as an adult Milk Snake (see photo). “A resident had tried to feed the snake a mouse, but Animal Control Officer Edward Risk said the 24-inch-long snake eats insects,” Monroe editor Bill Bittar reports. “A Milk Snake is also not poisonous. It was released.”
In New Canaan, Kleinschmitt said she’s seeing “quite a few more milk snakes” since finding two in a resident’s house/garage last year.
“Just this spring, a man called and said he found a copperhead snake when he opened up his pool,” Kleinschmitt said. The man discovered later that the snake was a harmless milk snake.
ANIMALS IN NEED & ANIMAL POSTS
- of Stamford’s “Outreach for Pets in Need” or “OPIN” posted a blog on New Canaan Patch about the very adoptable a fun “frat boy” of an adoptable dog whose DNA results show he’s a mix of Rhodesian Ridgeback, French Bulldog and American Staffordshire Terrier.
- New Canaan-based has highlighted “Lana,” an Abyssinian-Tabby mix who was abandoned by her family as an adoptable cat. “Everyone who meets Lana finds her to be an exceptional feline who is very sociable, and enjoys relating to everyone,” the group says. “This petite and sweet, soft and silky purr-baby is about three years old and lives to be loved.”
- How about some good news for a pet in need? Emma, a lovely little Maltese-Yorkie mix had been missing since Mother’s Day and . As posted on Patch, the girl was found “after one long week of searching, sign posting, chasing lost dogs and hope”—hooray!
- posted an announcement this week that’ll help dogs, gardeners and others who like to spend time outdoors immensely:
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New Canaan Patch in its free daily newsletter each week features complete with an updated coyote sighting map, lost dogs and cats report, deer vs. motor vehicle information and details on animal and rabies calls in town.
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COYOTE SIGHTINGS
Click on the interactive map above to get more details about each individual coyote sighting.
Recent sightings reported to Patch include:
- May 13: At 5:27 a.m., a resident at 523 Main St.—near the intersection of Main Street and Elm Place—reported that a small, healthy-looking coyote was staring at the resident through a downstairs window in the back yard.
DEER VS. MOTOR VEHICLE
Police received no reports of deer vs. motor vehicle collisions in the past week. This chart is up-to-date:
Vehicle Accident
Address
Result for deer
4-Jan
614 Silvermine Road
DOA
17-Jan
507 Country Club Road
Put down
13-Feb
Smith Ridge Road
Put down
2-Mar
615 West Road
DOA
13-Mar
Lost District Drive
Ran away
23-Mar
279 West Road
DOA
16-Apr
979 South Ave.
DOA
17-Apr
1052 Oenoke Ridge Road
Ran away
17-Apr
1279 Smith Ridge Road
DOA
24-Apr
296 Frogtown Road
DOA
Do you have a missing dog or lost pet? Do you have a great photo of your dog that you want us to include in next week's Animal Reports? Any animal stuff you’d like to blog on, or anything else animal-related for New Canaanites to read or see? Just shoot me an email at michaeld@patch.com.
