Health & Fitness
New Bylaws for North Andover Residents With More Than 4 Dogs
For those with MORE than 4 dogs - kennel license required
On Tuesday night the residents of North Andover voted to amend the Town of North Andover General Bylaws by deleting Chapter 88-Dogs and inserting Chapter 88- Animal Control.
Some will ask why and others may not have realized these Bylaws needed to be updated. But one thing is for sure with over 3000 dogs in North Andover it was time to review these laws.
What does this mean for the North Andover dog owner? Well it means that NA updated their Chapter 88- Animal Control to mirror the State General Bylaws. As with all Bylaws the State Bylaws supersede any town Bylaw. Therefore, it only made sense for NA to become compliant with the State.
Find out what's happening in North Andoverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Massachusetts a State known for its animal advocate ways and for animal legislation, has one of the strongest General Bylaws protecting animals in the country.
As always, your dog must be licensed with the town, must be up to date on all vaccinations and your dog must be on leash when off your property. As a pet owner it is your responsibility to "poop and scoop" after your dog and maintain and provide the proper health and wellness for your pooch.
Find out what's happening in North Andoverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
But the biggest change in the North Andover Chapter 88- Animal Control Bylaws is for those that have MORE than four dogs on their property at a time. This can refer to your personal pets, if you operate an in-home doggy daycare and/or if you are a breeder.
88-3.2 More than FOUR Dogs ( please refer to the complete list of details within this Bylaw, but to sum it up it reads as the following:)
License and Vaccination Requirements - Anyone who owns or boards more than four dogs within the Town of North Andover must apply for and obtain a kennel license from the Town Clerk.
New Dogs and New Puppies- The kennel licensee who is the owner of the dogs must report each new dog in the kennel within 30 days to the Town Clerk.
Inspection Process- Before the Town Clerk can issue the kennel license, the Health Division Animal Inspector must inspect the proposed kennel.
Periodic Inspections - Before the kennel license is renewed at any time the Animal control Officer and or the Health Division many inspect any kennel.
Kennel Review Hearings - If there are any violations from the Animal Control Officer, the owner will be notified within 7 business days and a have a hearing within 14 businesses days.
Penalties - Any person maintaining a kennel after the kennel license has been denied, revoked or suspended will be subject to the penalties of Section 88-7 of this bylaw.
License Due Date - Kennel license renewal forms will be mailed out by December 1 of each year. Kennel licensees must return forms and fees to the Town Clerk by January 15.
Fee- The fees for licensing each kennel shall be established by the Board of Selectman.
The purpose of 88-3.2 "More than FOUR Dogs" is to protect our pets from hoarding situations, uncontrolled environments, illegal doggy daycares, illegal backyard breeding and puppy mills.
**Animal Abuse and Neglect is a felony in all 50 states and the abuser may be charged with up to 5 yrs in jail**
Tracey is the owner of Wiggles & Jiggles Pet Care of North Andover and the winner of the NATIONAL PLATINUM PAW Award presented by Pet Sitters International. She may be contacted at 978-697-6571 orwww.wigglewalk.webs.com on facebook atwww.facebook.com/wigglesjigglespetcare
