His Heart's With Hurt Hawks, Lost Lambs, Stuck Ducks, Neglected Dogs

EAST HAVEN, CT —In the construction industry at the time, when Owen Little began working for the town's public works department 30 years ago this past October, he surely never imagined that he'd end up saving the lives of dogs, cats, hawks, and ducklings.

Set to retire Friday, East Haven Animal Control Officer Little, 62, said he's grateful that he spent his professional life working for the town of East Haven, where he and the Animal Shelter have been supported and respected.

So much so that after retiring, he'll stick around a bit, albeit part-time.

"One thing I cannot stress enough, is that I've been very fortunate that the town supports its departments, all of them, but especially the Animal Shelter. I've been truly blessed and very lucky to work for a town that has always treated me like a professional, and always supported what I wanted to do. I can't stress that enough. So much so that I never want to be far from it."

Little heaps praise for the town, the Animal Shelter staff, its volunteers, and a very supportive community. And if dogs, cats, hawks, and ducks could talk, they'd likely heap praise on Little.

A hawk, duck, lamb, and a rescued pup

In March 2021, Little saved a red-shouldered hawk —and the day— from an East Haven backyard. That day, he had just stopped by East Haven police headquarters to pick up a portable radio when he heard the call about a possibly injured hawk in a Francis Street backyard. And off he went. Read that heart-warming story here.

Two months later, he spent a day saving a mama duck, looking for a lost lamb and helped bring a lost dog home. There was the lamb on the lam in town. Then, the long-waited and hoped-for recovery of a dog who’d been missing for 11 days. But the day began with a mama duck trapped in a catch basin, her babies a step away from disaster. Otherwise, just another day in the life of an ACO. Read that story here.

Even the worst cases often had happy endings. An East Haven woman was charged in the summer of 2021 after an emaciated dog covered in sores, and unable to walk, was rescued in the middle of the night by Animal Control officer Sean Godejohn.

Little told Patch that the case was among the worst but ended up being among the best as the dog, who'd be named Blue, would be first hospitalized, then well-cared for at the Shelter to ultimately being adopted by a loving family.

"He'd been dumped and crawled to a front door," where he was picked up on a Ring camera, Little said. "Now, on most days on my way to work, I see him, the most loving kind dog that ever was. The family who adopted him live on the shore. There's not enough money to replace the feeling of seeing a dog go from being severely neglected to living its life on the beach."

Kristen Fradiani adopted Blue.

"Owen has worked tirelessly throughout his career to advocate for animals. After Sean and Owen saved Blue’s life, he spent a short period of time at the shelter after being released from the hospital. At that point, this was a dog who had known no life outside of being locked inside a tiny cage and starved. I had no idea what I was going to walk into when I went to the shelter to meet him," Fradiani told Patch. "To my surprise, Owen had not only earned Blue’s trust, but he had already taught him all of his basic commands like sit, paw, leave it, etc. Blue absolutely loves him to this day."

"I believe that he knows Owen is one of the people who saved his life. What stood out to me about him was the obvious amount of time he devotes to understanding each individual animal’s personality," Fradiani said. "I believe this is a part of why the East Haven Animal Shelter has been able to give so many animals a second chance at life and give them the forever homes they so deserve. To watch him in action is to see passion at work."

In a conversation with Patch, ACO Little humbly dismisses praise for his work over the decades.

No "i" in team

"It's never an individual thing. It's always a team effort," Little said, pointing to a small army of volunteers over the years, including Lesley E. Simoni, who he said "has been here longer than me."

"And now, I'm lucky enough to have someone to replace me who'll take the job far beyond what I've been able to do," he said, referring to newly sworn ACO Emily Higgins.

"Owen Little is the consummate public servant," East Haven Mayor Joseph A. Carfora told Patch. "He is a gentleman who has represented our community with dignity and class. It has been my pleasure to have worked with him over the last three years. I take great pride in representing East Haven in a positive way throughout the state. Owen has done just that in his field for his entire career."

Friday is Little's last day as ACO.

"It's been amazing. Just amazing," he said.