Dr. T.C. Nanavati said Tuesday the pit bull that was brought to his office April 13 from the Derby dog pound should have received medical attention much earlier — regardless of who owned or had control of the animal.
But does the lack of medical attention equate to animal neglect?
“I do not know about the legal definition. I said ‘appeared neglected’ but I did not blame anyone and say a person definitely neglected that dog,” Nanavati said.
Background
Derby Animal Control Officer Joe Klapcik quit his job April 13. Derby police asked Oxford Animal Control Officer Sandy Merry to temporarily cover Klapcik’s duties at the Coon Hollow Road dog pound.
Merry arrived and said she was shocked by the condition of the Derby pound, saying it was a mess, with two clogged drains and piles of dog feces outside in the back.
State dog pound regulations specifically state that injured or sick animals must receive medical attention.
However, a male pit bull was in obvious need of medical care, Merry said.
Merry’s assertions were backed up by statements from Assistant Oxford Animal Control Officer Cori Wlasuk, who was in the pound April 13, and by Naomi Ribeiro, of a pit bull rescue group, who was in the pound April 15.
Derby officials have denied the accusations.
The Derby Police Department, while denying the accusations made by Oxford officials, has simultaneously opened an investigation into the dog pound, which is supervised by Derby police.
State animal control officials are assisting in the probe.
Wlasuk took the pit bull from the Derby dog pound to the Nanavati’s Ansonia Animal Hospital on April 13.
On April 18, Merry retrieved a letter from Nanavati detailing the pit bull’s condition. Merry said she had asked for the letter in order to give it to Derby police.
As of last week — and after a war of words between Oxford animal control and Derby police in local publications — Merry had not given the letter to Derby police. She suggested Derby police get a copy from Nanavati.
A jpg image of the letter was given to Derby police by the Valley Indy and Oxford Patch in order to ask questions about conditions at the pound.
The letter is printed below. Article continues after the document.
Police interviewed Nanavati as part of that investigation April 19.
Nanavati Interview
Nanavati said Tuesday he stands by the content of that letter — but the letter should not be used to assign blame, because that is not his job.
The vet repeated Tuesday the dog had open sores on its legs, tail and body, in addition to infected paws. The pit bull’s weight was a concern as well, Nanavati said.
The animal looked worse in person than it did in photos published by the media several days later, Nanavati said.
However, the injuries were not life threatening — and rather common for dogs seen at the Ansonia Animal Hospital.
“Sometimes, when a dog comes in like that, a person may have waited to bring it in because they didn’t have the money to pay,” he said. “It’s not life threatening. If the dog can’t be fully treated the owner does the best possible to make the dog comfortable.”
Nanavati said he was not told how long the pit bull had been in Derby’s care. Oxford Animal Control referenced Derby paperwork showing the animal had been there for 60 days.
“If the dog was there for that long, then the animal control officer should have known,” Nanavati said.
The Derby dog pound has been closed since April 17. Derby officials are looking to consolidate their animal control services with Woodbridge. Doing so will result in better service and save money, Derby Police Chief Gerald Narowski said.
Actual costs and an agreement are being hammered out.
Nanavati said money is an important topic with municipal dog pounds. None of the pounds in the area receive the support they need to handle the amount of animals that come into the facilities, the vet said.
“The old says are gone. No one has the cash to care for the animals,” he said.
The Oxford agents and volunteers cleaned the Derby pound and the six dogs inside between April 13 and April 15.
The dog was hospitalized for three days under Nanavati’s care.
On April 17, a state animal control officer inspected Derby’s dog pound and found just two minor violations with the facility. That inspection is printed below.
