1 Dog Died, 1 Rescued From Car They'd Been Locked In Overnight

East Haven CT

12 August, 2021

12:06 PM

Description

EAST HAVEN, CT — Emily Higgins had been on the job as East Haven's newest animal control officer for just days when the call came in. With backup from the East Haven Police Department, she went to the Frontage Road motel and there found two dogs inside a car that atop a moving truck trailer, both of whom had been locked in over night. One dog, a large Labrador Retriever-mix, was dead. The other dog, dehydrated and suffering from heat stroke, was taken to Branford Veterinary Hospital by Higgins. A Florida man, who said he was relocating to New Hampshire, was arrested, Animal Control Officer Owen Little told Patch. Raymond Atwood, 71, was charged with animal cruelty. East Haven Police Capt. Joseph M. Murgo said Atwood is scheduled to appear in court Oct. 5 in New Haven. Little said that Atwood had intended to put the dogs inside the moving truck but were unable to so he put them in the car which was being towed by the truck. Atwood went to the Quality Inn, and checked in leaving the dogs locked in overnight Tuesday. The next morning, the motel manager was outside doing routine cleaning when they saw the dogs and called police. Higgins took the call and the newly minted ACO rushed to the scene and found one dog dead and the other "not in good shape" and took it to the vet hospital. Little would later drive the dead dog to UConn for a necropsy, an autopsy for animals. So far its cause of death has not been determined. Meanwhile, while the dog that survived was hospitalized, a veterinary technician "fell in love" with it, Little said. Higgins "persuaded the owner to sign it over to the shelter and the dog was immediately adopted by the animal technician. Little said Higgins, who'd not even completed her first week on the job after finishing academy training deserves praise. "Big hats off to Emily for her quick response," Little said. He also lauded the police department for helping and noted that it was an OK from Mayor Joseph A. Carfora for another new hire and another truck to handle the volume of calls the East Haven Animal Shelter gets every day. "He's really supported us so the mayor deserves a big thank you," Little said.