Fairfield County, CT

Fairfield County, CT Dog Resource Guide

• Licensing Laws - Connecticut state law requires that all dogs over the age of six months must be licensed with the town clerk for their area by the thirtieth of June each year. The license fee for animals that have been spayed or neutered is $7; the fee for all other animals is $12. The fees for owners living in Norwalk, New Canaan, Fairfield or Greenwich are $8 for each spayed/neutered animal and $19 for all others.
• Leashing Laws - Connecticut state law requires that all dogs be on a leash if off their owner’s property and within visual range of a guide dog or assistance dog.  Stamford (Sect. 111-11B), Wilton, New Canaan and Fairfield require that dogs be on a leash and under their owner’s control at all times when off the owner’s property unless in a designated off-leash area.
• “Pooper Scooper” Laws - Norwalk (Sect. 15-11), Stamford (Sect. 111-7), New Canaan and Wilton require that owners immediately clean up any waste left by their dog on public or private property not their own.

Dog Parks & Dog Park Organizations

• Winslow Park offers an off-leash area for dogs on the north side.
• Greenwich recently opened a new dog park at Grass Island Park. Visit the Greenwich Parks and Recreation website for more information.
• Spencer’s Dog Run is a 1.5 acre off-leash area in Waveny Park in New Canaan. All dogs in the park must be leashed unless in the specified off-leash area and must be wearing a license tag and proof of rabies vaccine tag. Owners must immediately clean up any waste left by their dog.
• Dogs are welcome in most other New Canaan parks provided they are on a leash unless in a specified off-leash area, and owners immediately remove all waste left by their dog. Visit this site for a complete list of parks and park rules.

Humane Societies and Animal Shelters

• The Stamford Animal Care and Control offers a wide range of pet education and services in addition to pet adoptions. Their SNIP program offers low-cost spay and neuter assistance for owners of pit bulls and pit bull mixes. They also offer free dog obedience classes.
• The Fairfield Animal Shelter, Norwalk Animal Control, and Greenwich Animal Control and Adoptions offer unclaimed strays for adoption.
• PAWS is a local animal shelter based in Westport. They are primarily run by volunteers, and offer spay and neuter assistance for qualified owners in addition to adoptions.
• The Animal Welfare Society Inc. is a non-profit, no-kill shelter dedicated to finding a loving home for every animal in need. They offer community and classroom education on pet care and low-cost obedience training.
• The Danbury Animal Welfare Society is entirely run by volunteers. It offers education on pet ownership and a low-cost spay and neuter program, as well as adoptions.
• Adopt-A-Dog, located in Greenwich, provides adoptions for residents in  New York and Connecticut. Their goal is to promote responsible pet ownership through pet care education and spay/neuter programs. Visit their website for information on their upcoming events.

Additional Dog Organizations and Ideas That We Support

• Animals in Distress is a no-kill shelter in Wilton that seeks to find loving homes for the area’s lost or abandoned cats. It is a non-profit shelter run exclusively by volunteers.
• Westport is home to a local branch of the Connecticut Humane Society. In addition to adoptions, the Humane Society also offers many different programs including using pets as therapy for elderly or disabled individuals, and many educational opportunities to increase public awareness on the issues that face pets today.