Animal 411

New Canaan Police Issue Bear ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ Checklist

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In the wake of last Friday’s bear sighting in eastern New Canaan—the animal was spotted by a boy in his family’s Thayer Pond Road back yard around 8 p.m.—local police are encouraging residents to learn their “Bear Do’s and Don’ts.”

The animals are increasing in numbers and have been seen more frequently in Connecticut, according to a state bulletin distributed by New Canaan Police Chief Leon Krolikowski and the department’s Animal Control Unit. “They are rarely aggressive toward humans but can create a variety of problems,” said the bulletin from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Natural Resources Wildlife Division. “In particular, bears that are fed by humans can become habituated and may need to be euthanized. Connecticut residents must learn how to reduce the likelihood of bears becoming a problem. Birdfeeders, garbage, pet food and compost attract bears close to houses and people, and should be made unavailable to bears.”

Here’s a PDF from the state that lists the Do’s and Don’t’s:

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Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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Town officials on Tuesday night approved plans for a new business’s sign and awning at 31 Vitti St.—known for two years as the home of Eclectic, which recently closed (locals may recall chef Robert Milano’s delicious cheesesteak, which recently made our Top-10 New Canaan Sandwiches list). With a planned launch about two weeks away, the new business at 31 Vitti, Good2Gourmet, according to its website, will offer convenient home delivery and curbside pickup from foods on its “tantalizing menu providing maxim flavors with minimum sodium and no additives.” Led by a renowned chef and founded by a mother of four, Good2Gourmet has joined the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce and defines its mission as providing “a variety of healthy and delicious dishes for the entire family.” Read more about the company here. ***

The male Maltese mix found on the night of June 15 on Lakeview Avenue is up for adoption as of Wednesday, June 24 through New Canaan Animal Control. He’s about two years old and Officer Maryann Kleinschmitt said she’s calling him ‘Finnegan.’ “Finn for short,” Kleinschmitt told NewCanaanite.com. “He is so cute.”

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The New Canaan Board of Education on Monday night bid farewell to two administrators who earned high praise at their final school board meetings.

Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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Scores of New Canaanites joined students of architecture and fans of the Midcentury Modern style at The Glass House on Saturday for the annual Summer Party, a fundraiser for the National Trust for Historic Preservation site. Sipping Taittinger champagne and bringing picnic baskets prepared by Campagna and The Bedford Post Inn, attendees roamed the 49-acre property on a bright, sunny day, entering buildings that include not just the famous Glass House but also Da Monsta and Philip Johnson’s painting gallery and library. Others lounged by a pond down the back of the property or by the pool near the main house. See photos above. ***

A woman who hurt herself after falling on the sidewalk in front of Dunkin Donuts on Elm Street in January has filed a letter of intent to sue New Canaan, according to a notice filed with the town. It happened at about 2:30 p.m. on Jan 12 at what the woman’s New Canaan-based lawyer is calling “a dangerous and unsafe pedestrian sidewalk which was improperly repaired, maintained, cleared of snow, sleet and/or ice and/or improperly treated with salt, sand or the like.” The woman hurt her “right fingers, right hand, right wrist, right arm, right elbow, right shoulder, neck back and buttocks,” according to the Notice of Intention to Commence Action Against Municipality.

Animal 411

16 Stitches for 2-Year-Old Boy Bit by Dog at Mead Park

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A Stamford dog is under quarantine through June 19 after biting a 22-month-old at Mead Park last week. It happened at about 4:22 p.m. Friday and the child needed 16 stitches after the Staffordshire terrier bit him on the left arm, according to the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control Unit. Two little girls had been petting the 2-year-old male terrier “and he appeared to be friendly and for whatever reason, decided to bite the boy standing right there,” Animal Control Officer Maryann Kleinschmitt said. The animal, which is up-to-date on its vaccines and had been leashed at the time of the bite, is under the state-required 2-week quarantine at the police animal shelter, because the bite occurred on public property (if it had happened at home, the dog would be able to undergo the quarantine there). The child suffered several puncture wounds, Kleinschmitt said.

Animal 411

Separately, New Canaan Children Bitten by Chipmunk and Horse

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Rabies tests came back negative on a chipmunk that last week bit a 9-year-old New Canaan girl on the finger, officials say. It happened Thursday in the yard of a Richmond Hill Road home, according to Officer Maryann Kleinschmitt of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control Unit. The girl had been playing with a chipmunk that, in retrospect, appeared somewhat sickly, when the animal bit her, drawing blood, Kleinschmitt said. Animal Control found the chipmunk’s body in the yard the following day and “it looked like an animal had tried to catch it, like a cat,” she said. “From the injuries I saw on the critter, that’s probably why it was not able to get away from [the girl]—it was already injured and dying,” Kleinschmitt said.