LYNN — Kayla Richards, 28, found herself living a pet owner’s worst nightmare when her dog went missing for three hours on Sunday.
She contacted the Lynn Police Department, and was referred to the city’s animal control office, where she left a message, but never received a call back. It wasn’t until her dog was found badly injured and bleeding underneath a car that she learned the city has been without an animal control officer for nearly two months.
Richards, of Everett, was visiting a friend’s house in Lynn when her dog somehow escaped the gated backyard while she was inside getting him some food and water. By the time she got outside, Bruin, the 1-year-old German shorthaired pointer and Australian mix, was nowhere to be found.
After exhausting her options in Lynn, she decided to reach out to neighboring Swampscott’s police department, which promptly put her in touch with the town’s animal control officer and kicked off an hours-long, multi-law enforcement department search to try to find the dog in the sweltering heat. A poster of the missing dog was also widely shared on Facebook.
Hours later, Richards was notified that Bruin had been found by an Everett animal control officer. It appeared the dog had been hit by a car and had later taken refuge underneath a different vehicle. He had deep gashes on his head, arms and hind legs, which required stitches, and lost some tendons that may later require surgery.
“It was very frustrating,” Richards said. “I wish that somebody took a little bit more responsibility for the animals (in Lynn) because they are important to people. They’re family members. If someone from another town didn’t come and help find him, and I didn’t make that call to Swampscott, it could have been worse. He could have died out there.”
According to Lisa Cutting, owner of Ocean View Kennel in Revere, Sunday’s incident is not an isolated one in Lynn over the past few weeks. She’s been taking in injured dogs and cats from incidents that should have otherwise been handled by Lynn’s animal control office.
The city’s former ACO, Justin Dawkins, was placed on paid administrative leave pending termination on May 28 and was fired on Monday, according to Drew Russo, the city’s personnel director, who said he couldn’t comment on the reason.
“Due process was respected, including a full termination hearing, and the city moved to terminate upon receiving the recommendation of the hearing officer, Attorney Michael J. Marks, that affirmed the city’s decision to do so,” Russo said. “The city does not comment on the particulars of personnel matters.”
The position was posted on Monday and will close on Aug. 2. The IUE-CWA Local 261 position pays a salary of $60,855 and has a residency requirement.
The animal control office in Lynn falls under the jurisdiction of the city’s Inspectional Services Department. Michael Donovan, ISD chief, said calls have been handled in a variety of ways while there’s been a vacancy.
Michele Desmarais, the city’s public health director, handles some of the calls. The Department of Public Works responds to pick up dead animals in the road other than dogs and cats. The city has enlisted the help of a former animal control officer on a part-time basis and has reached out to other communities to offer assistance. A private company has been helping to pick up dead dogs and cats, according to Donovan.
But Donovan said he’s seeking to hire another full-time animal control officer as soon as possible.
Michael Cahill, director of the division of animal health for the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture, wrote in a correspondence obtained by The Item that he has informed the city that they need to have an animal inspector appointed immediately to cover the quarantines that need to be issued. He could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.
“It’s a position that’s needed within the city of Lynn,” Donovan said. “That position has been vacant for (several) weeks, so we’ve struggled to address the needs of the community. We’re doing our best to get somebody on board as soon as possible so constituent calls can be addressed promptly.”
During city budget hearings, Donovan advocated for additional funding for the animal control office in his department. Currently, only one full-time animal control officer is budgeted, which leaves them without after hours and overtime coverage.
Overtime is only allowed for emergencies, such as a dog that’s in danger or endangering someone else. In past years, there had been a part-time and full-time animal control officer, but when the former officer moved on, the budget was reduced to only one full-time position, according to Donovan.
“Off-hour coverage is something I spoke to in regards to budget hearings,” Donovan said. “I’m not convinced I need one and a half, but we’d need a budget with overtime or the ability to get a contractor if the animal control officer is not available.”
The city has a contract to bring animals to North Shore Animal Hospital, but it’s closed on nights and weekends, Cutting said.
She’s had one dead dog, an injured dog, and two dogs rescued from the Lynnway Mart Indoor Mall & Flea Market that had hernias and required surgery, a dog nobody has claimed, and a cat that was severely injured.
Cutting said the situation reached its breaking point this weekend. Not only was Richards’ dog hit by a car on Sunday, but the day before, a yorkie was found dead on Eastern Avenue.
No one from the city was sent to pick up the dog and it lay dead on the sidewalk until Sunday when a Good Samaritan put a bucket over its head and removed it from the scene. The dog had been reported missing, according to Cutting.
“I’m very disappointed,” Cutting said. “Lynn’s a big city and this should have never happened.”
Item reporter Bella diGrazia contributed to this report.
