Newton Police Chief Rob Burdess has recommended a site for the new dog kennel the City has recently purchased. That site will be considered during tonight’s 6 p.m. Newton City Council meeting. Parkview Animal Hospital, which has housed animals for the City of Newton for many years, is terminating that agreement October 15th. During a special September 25th City Council meeting, Chief Burdes guided City Council approval to purchase an eight stall commercial kennel from Backyard Escapes of Pocomoke City Maryland for $84,831. This will allow the City to provide its own animal control boarding. 

“The question has been asked -How many dogs do you have at any given time?- I can’t answer that. We take in about 200 dogs per year. We may have no dogs in the facility or we may have 8, we just don’t know from day to day.”

After reviewing several potential sites for the 12-by-52 foot kennel, Chief Burdess is recommending it be placed on a vacant City owned lot at 707 West 9th Street North. This property is the old Maytag landfill site. Burdess believes this lot is the least challenging and most cost-effective option, and is more than 200 feet from any residence. The Kennel, built by Amish craftsmen in Pennsylvania, comes turn key with all the kennels pre-installed. All the electric, heating and cooling, and plumbing are there. All the city has to do is install electricity and water to it. If the recommended site is approved, Burdess says this new facility could be operational in a month. He notes Parkview Animal Hospital has offered to continue to house animals for the City on a non-contractual basis after October 15th at a higher fee.