Longtime New Canaan Animal Control Officer Retires After 8 Years

NEW CANAAN, CT — For Allyson Halm, the backyard of her home is an animal oasis where baby bunnies roam and hummingbirds bathe in her birdbath.

A wildlife advocate, Halm said her yard is essentially designed and created for the animals and her plants, the latter of which began attracting deer about a year ago.

"Now I really know why people are frustrated with the deer," Halm said. "They sneak in at night and chew up everything you have, then sneak right out."

While deer may be a new addition to her yard, the animal is one she has had much experience with throughout her career as New Canaan's animal control officer.

"I'm going to put some of my deterrents into practice," Halm said, "some scare balloons, and I did purchase some deer spray. Let's hope it works because they're eating my hostas!"

Last month, Halm officially retired from her position after eight years on the job. Prior to her time in New Canaan, she worked for Greenwich Animal Control for over a decade.

"It's a very intimidating milestone," Halm said. "I miss the work [already]."

Halm's retirement was announced back in April during a Board of Selectmen meeting, after which she cited the physical nature of the job as her main reason for choosing to retire.

"At this stage in my life," Halm said in April, "the physical aspect is not working."

Though she was mostly finished working in mid-July, her last official day was July 28. To celebrate the occasion, New Canaan police hosted a luncheon that day for her and two other retiring colleagues.

"The three of us shared the limelight. It was lovely," Halm said. "People obviously stopped in and wished us well. I have been very verbal and vocal about my retirement so far in advance, because that's how I handle things, that everybody sort of already knew. It wasn't a sort of surprise."

Among the range of emotions she experience that day, Halm recalled feeling grateful but also a bit stressed.

"I don't like goodbyes," Halm said. "I don't like having that kind of attention. I was happy to share the time with two other colleagues because then I didn't have to focus on me. I focused on them, so that made it a little bit easier. At the end of the luncheon I did sort of just sneak out the back door."

Though she struggled with saying goodbye to them, Halm noted the town of New Canaan, its police department and everyone at Town Hall have cared about her and the work she does since she started her job back in 2015.

"Animal control is very unique," Halm said, "it makes headlines and people are interested in what takes place when any type of animal is involved, whether good, bad or ugly...not all towns embrace animal control. Many consider it a stepchild or something that they have to put up with. New Canaan showed me the utmost respect and was there for me if I needed anything. I liked working independently, but I certainly knew if I had to call on somebody that they had my back."

Cheryl Jones, the town's human resources director, said Halm will be missed for a number of reasons, including her ability to overcome any obstacle thrown her way.

"Allyson always greeted you with a smile and the residents and staff enjoyed working with her," Jones said in an email to Patch. "Her positive attitude was infectious and she took great care of all the animals she rescued. Thank you, Allyson."

In addition to enjoying the people she worked with, Halm's favorite part of working in animal control was the unpredictable nature of each day on the job.

"Nothing ever happens the same way," Halm said. "You never know what that day is going to bring. To me, that made it exciting and interesting and unique that you had no idea what you were going to face that day."

In the spring, the town hired Sean Godejohn as New Canaan's full-time animal control officer from a pool of over 50 applicants. He previously worked for the town of East Haven and the city of Waterbury.

Halm, who worked with Godejohn for about six weeks prior to her retirement, said her replacement brings a wealth of animal control experience to the position.

"He was very respective, and he can quote statutes better than I," Halm said. "My job was really to acclimate him to the type of lifestyle that he might not be accustomed to in the towns that he worked in...I wish Officer Sean the best and a safe, healthy career."

Godejohn noted that while he has only known Halm for a short amount of time, he found her to be patient, kind-hearted and encouraging.

"Allyson has done an extraordinary job for the town of New Canaan for the past eight years," Godejohn said in an email to Patch. "I know this because all of the town employees remind me each day that I have incredibly huge shoes to fill and how cherished Allyson is."

According to Godejohn, Halm's talents and actions helped her achieve excellence every day. She also started a community outreach program called "Wild Neighbors" in which she would talk to school children about the benefits of wildlife.

"Allyson helped solve wildlife conflicts within the town with a vast array of knowledge and understanding of communities living with wildlife," Godejohn said. "Allyson also helped people compassionately with a ceaseless love for domestic animals. Her determination for public safety and law enforcement is something to be admired."

He also noted working alongside Halm was a revelation for him despite years of animal control experience.

"I have been in this career for ten years and it was refreshing to learn new skills from someone so experienced," Godejohn said. "I am thankful to be able to call Allyson my colleague, but I am honored to call her my friend."

Though she is only a few weeks into her retirement, Halm said she has been in a sort of grieving period after leaving a job she loved so much. She is, however, excited about all the possibilities on the horizon.

"When you're passionate, compassionate and dedicated, it's hard to walk away. I didn't realize it was going to be as hard as it is," Halm said. "It's so early in this new chapter, I'm going to kind of let it write itself. I need that full adjustment before I think I could just jump right back in the work field."

In addition to her beloved colleagues, Halm thanked the residents of New Canaan for all their support over the years as she worked to be an advocate for their community's wildlife population.

"Thank you for listening," Halm said, "for being willing to learn and to be open-minded about sharing your lives with our wild neighbors."