Animal Reports: A Bearded Dragon Lizard Strays from Home

George the Dragon

A contractor doing work in a front yard on Hillcrest Road Monday evening found a stray Bearded Dragon Lizard. He picked up the reptile and put it in a recycling bin in the garage for Monroe Animal Control to pick up.

Notice of impound posters were sent out in the area and the lizard's owner, a Hillcrest Road woman, responded on Tuesday and paid the $15 fee to redeem her pet.

Animal Control Officer Edward Risko said the lizard's name is George. The reptile is about 20 inches long.

A Stray Pony

Last Friday, a woman reported seeing a stray pony grazing on the field at Chalk Hill School on Fan Hill Road. She tried to snap a photo before it saw her and ran into the woods, heading toward Lane's Mine Park, police said.

The sighting was five days before the report, according to Animal Control Officer Edward Risko.

An officer searched the area and could not locate the animal. Risko said five livestock owners in the area were contacted but that no one knew of a pony fitting the description.

A Lost African Gray Parrot

An African Gray Parrot flew out of its owner's house on Turkey Roost Road at around 7:25 last Friday night and got stuck in a tree. Police said the young bird later flew down the road and was found by a neighbor, who returned it home.

An Angry Robin

A robin nesting close to a house on Topaz Lane keeps seeing its own reflection in a window and attacking the glass pane.

An Animal Control officer told the resident it is common territorial behaviour for a robin and suggested that the homeowner eliminate the roost site with spikes and block the windows so the bird cannot see its reflection. Additional tips can be found online.

The officer also gave the homeowner the contact number for the Connecticut Audubon Society.

Dog Bites Biker

A 61-year-old Easton Road man was riding his bicycle on Hattertown Road Tuesday afternoon and turned onto Stanley Road when a German Shepherd type of dog started barking at him from one yard. As he rode past the driveway, police said the dog charged through the electric fence system and into the road where it bit the man on his lower right leg.

The bite victim received medical care from his private physician.

The dog was found to be validly vaccinated and licensed. However, police said a 14-day off property quarantine order was issued in accordance with state statutes and the owner was issued a written warning for annoyance by the dog in the roadway and for a roaming dog. She was also issued a ticket for nuisance first-offense and a $75 fine for a dog bite.

The case remains open pending a veterinary health exam for the dog after 14 days, according to the report.

Duck Lost & Found

The family member of the Turkey Roost Road woman who reported her duck stolen last week called the person who took it and it was brought back home on April 12. She declined to press charges.

The homeowner, who also owns the African Gray Parrot, keeps four ducks in a pen and on April 13 it was open. One duck wandered off again, but was later found walking in the roadway by a family member.

Take the Kids, the Doe will Follow

The owner of several goats that keep getting loose on Old Coach Road had to have them rounded up again on Wednesday afternoon. Police said a family member accidentally put a dog inside the fence where the goats were to stop it from roaming and that the dog chased the goats out of the enclosure.

Animal Control Officer Edward Risko said officers brought the kids back rather than going after their mother, because the doe's instinct is to follow her young.

Rabies Outbreak Continues

When rabies spreads, it doesn't stop until it claims 80 percent of an area's raccoon population, which then takes two years to build itself back up, according to Animal Control Officer Edward Risko. The virus continues to spread this year.

A sick or injured raccoon was reported in a parking lot on Main Street on April 12. An officer searched the area, but could not find it. No exposures were reported.

A sick or injured raccoon would not get out of a driveway on Pepper Street on the night of April 12, so the property owner used a canoe paddle to guide the animal into a trap.

Upon checking in the morning, the resident found that the raccoon had died.

"I believe it was sick with rabies," Risko said.

No exposures were reported and no testing was required.

On April 14, a sick or injured raccoon was reported on the beach at Great Hollow Lake. It was found on the south end of the lake and was euthanized, police said. No exposures or contact was reported, and no testing was required.

A sick or injured raccoon was seen on Fan Hill at around 7:19 Monday morning. Police said an officer searched the area but could not find it. A second sighting of the raccoon was reported on East Maiden Lane at 12:58 p.m.

A sick or injured raccoon was seen in the backyard of a Turkey Roost Road residence at approximately 2:19 p.m. Monday. Officers searched the area, but could not find it.

Dog Forgiven for Killing Chickens

A stray German Shepherd killed chickens on Hammertown Road Monday, but the woman who lives there declined to charge its owner for the property damage. Police said she was just concerned that the dog was loose and its owner may be missing it.

The dog was found roaming loose on Percheron Drive the next day and impounded.

The owner redeemed his dog for $15 and was given a verbal warning for allowing his dog to roam. Police said the German Shepherd was validly vaccinated and licensed.

No Dogs Allowed

A woman was given a verbal warning for violation of park regulations after being seen walking her dog at Wolfe Park Monday afternoon. No dogs are allowed at the park.

Casualties

The full intact skeletal remains of an opossum were removed from a backyard on Farm View Road Saturday.

The carcass of a raccoon struck and killed by a motor vehicle on Bug Hill Road was removed on Tuesday.

A deer died in a motor vehicle accident on Monroe Turnpike at around 9:48 p.m. Tuesday. Police said a State Deer Kill Incident report was completed and the 120-pound buck was removed from the scene.

A cat died after being being hit by a vehicle on Elm Street — near the  Shelton/Trumbull town lines. Police said the black, short-hair cat was an adult female with no collar.

Lost Cats

A spayed female cat was reported missing April 12 by a Richards Drive resident. Police describe the feline as a grey domestic short-hair, with a white belly and white paws.

An orange and white male cat was reported missing by its owner on Wintergreen Drive April 13. Police said the cat is 8 or 9 years-old.

A two-year-old Tabby was reported missing by its owner on Lazy Brook Road Monday. Police describe it as having grey stripes and green eyes.

A Calico cat was reported missing by its owner on Stanley Road Monday. Police said it is a three-year-old neutered male.

Failure to License

Police issued 11 warnings and two $75 fines in the past week for failure to license a dog in accordance with state statutes.