LYNN — The Law Department and The Purchasing Department are looking to find a viable location in Lynn to place a potential dog shelter.
When North Shore Animal Hospital closed in 2022 and reopened a year later, Lynn lost its partnership with the organization, which means the City has had no place to put its stray dogs. A woman in a single family residence is currently housing some of the stray dogs, but she is often at capacity.
“The Police Department have been very frustrated that they have not been able to house the dogs without a location here in the city,” City Solicitor James Lamanna said at a City Council meeting on Sept. 23.
Lynn Police Department (LPD) Lt. David Hunter, who oversees the Animal Control Department, said Lynn typically has five to six stray dogs in the city at a given time. The dogs are primarily pitbulls, and many neighboring cities do not want to enter a partnership situation with Lynn due to the negative perception of the breed.
“We have nowhere to house the dogs. We have residents that were qualified to do it, and it’s just getting too much,” Ward 5 Councilor Dianna Chakoutis said. “We do need a place to house these dogs when the dog officer picks them up. It is a big problem in the city. Residents are just holding onto these dogs when they shouldn’t be. I think this is something the city really needs.”
City Council unanimously voted to approve a Request for Proposal (RFP) to search for a space to operate a potential dog shelter in Lynn. The City is currently in an informational gathering process to gauge if there is a property in Lynn that’s in a location that is suitable for a shelter.
The requirements for the location would ideally be a commercial setting with a ground floor of 18,000-25,000 sq. ft., with two separate areas for dogs who are in a quarantine period. If a location is determined, the next steps would be to analyze costs and costs-benefits to evaluate if a dog kennel would be an economically feasible option for the City.
