Dedham Animal Control

09/01/2026

Just a friendly reminder from your Animal Control Officer 😊

08/29/2026

Barnes Memorial Field is usually a place we visit to respond to animals calls or to ensure our town's dog bylaws are being adhered to; however, today we are sharing this invitation to Barnes Memorial Field because this vigil is so important in bringing our community together.

Our thoughts are with everyone who has either struggled with or has lost someone due to an overdose.

Please remember that per Dedham Parks and Recreation Department only service animals are permitted at Barnes Memorial Field.💜

Join us for a Community Vigil on Monday, August 31 at 6PM at Barnes Memorial Field featuring a peaceful space for reflection, remembrance, and hope.

Purple flags have been place across the field, each one representing a life lost to overdose in Massachusetts in 2025.

August 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day, established to bring communities together, share stories, take action, and remember those we’ve lost.

08/27/2026

We've had three calls today for raccoons inside trash bins or dumpsters which is a great reminder that August is peak season for young, newly-independent raccoons to be out foraging and exploring, often getting their young selves into predicaments where shouting 'Mommmmmeeeeeyyy' just isn't working.

Trash bins and dumpsters top the list of these predicaments.

The good news is that these predicaments can usually be easily resolved.

If the raccoon is inside your trash bin, simply tip the bin over away from you and onto its side so that the lid is open and not flapped closed, and just walk away. The raccoon should walk out on its own when it feels safe to do so.

If the raccoon is inside a dumpster, just find a wooden plank, thick tree branch or even a pallet, and slide it inside the dumpster to create a ramp from the floor to the top and then walk away. Again, the raccoon should climb out on its own when it feels safe. If there are multiple raccoons inside, once one climbs out, the others will follow suit.

We prefer to exercise these measures rather than physically move the raccoons to minimize any unnecessary stress [to them]. These young raccoons also need to learn how to cope and meet challenges head on, as they are going to be fully on their own soon and resourcefulness equals survival. As humans, providing raccoons with a means when necessary also fosters positive coexistence.

We love raccoons, especially watching them think, climb and celebrate their independence; however, if we can prevent them from finding themselves in a predicament during their skill-learning and exploration, we love that even more.

Please consider:

🦝Keeping trash securely tucked inside bins and dumpsters so that it is not easy to pull out.

🦝Tightly sealing trash bags to minimize the smell of food. You can even try sprinkling a little baking soda at the top of each bag to help neutralize any attractive odors.

🦝Putting trash outside on the day of pickup in lieu of the night before.

🦝Using a brick, heavy rock or a bungee cord to keep the trash bin lids sealed and harder to access.

🦝Keeping the lids and side doors to dumpsters closed at all times and ensuring waste service providers empty the dumpsters regularly so that they do not become overflowed.

If any raccoons appear injured, ill or remain inside a trash bin or dumpster after several hours of your providing them with a suitable egress, please let us know.

Nice work to those who called for guidance and then helped these little trash bandits today! 🦝

08/26/2026

Attention Dedham Dog Park Members:

If you were at the Dedham Dog Park on Monday, 8/24/26 between 4:45pm-5:15pm, please let us know if you can help us. We are looking to identify a male party with dark hair, sunglasses, thin build, in his 20’s, accompanying a 50 lb ‘furry’ black lab. The dog was involved in an incident and we would just like the opportunity to speak with this party in an effort to obtain some information. Thank you!

08/26/2026

Today is National Dog Day -an annual observance to celebrate dogs.

In honor of this day, we paws to celebrate a few community dogs that have touched our heart in a different way than the countless dogs with which we come into contact on any given day for a variety of reasons.

Lola. Lola went missing in 2023 while being walked in Wilson Mountain. Lola was never found; however, we did recover her collar in Norwood nearly two years later. Lola's family remains an important part of our life to this day.

Ada. Ada went missing after slipping out of a home during a 2025 cold New England Winter. Ada was never found. Ada's owner remains an important part of our life to this day.

Ruby. Ruby not only provides support and companionship to so many people within our community, she is also a frequent visitor to our office (mainly for treats), and along with Juvenile OfficerJenkins, Ruby often accompanies us into our Dedham schools when we host Safety Around Dogs educational classes.

Today, we don’t just celebrate these three dogs, we celebrate all dogs-family dogs, working dogs, shelter dogs and even those dogs we ceaselessly pick up while running amuck in the community!

Please join us in celebrating dogs by always being a responsible dog owner. And if you see a dog in need of help, please let us know.

[Pictured: Lola (black Labradoodle), Ava (tan Italian Greyhound) and Ruby (cream Golden Retriever)]

08/26/2026

Update: Leia has been found! .....

Missing Dog! 🐾

Leia was last seen around 12:00 pm today (8/26/26) at her home on Haven St., Dedham. She is a light brown Wheaton Terrier, is approximately 40 lbs and is wearing a light blue collar with her phone number embroidered on it.

Anyone with information is asked to please call us. 781.751.9106.

Please do not chase her.

[Stock Photo of a light brown Wheaton Terrier - not actual photo of Leia].

08/24/2026

Update: 8/25/26 11:45am Mookie is home!
……

Mookie is still missing!🐾

Mookie has been missing for a couple of days. Mookie's owners have been doing all the right things...reporting Mookie to authorities, contacting Missing Dogs Massachusetts, reaching out to us, canvassing areas and posting signs to generate awareness. They have also already utilized Hawkeye Aerial Systems for a drone search. Reported sightings have quieted since day one, which was 8.21.26, so we ask that you please share this post and keep your eyes and ears open while you are home, out and about in your neighborhood and out in the community.

Please report any potential sightings directly to us at 781.751.9106 or to Mookie's owner via the phone number on this MDM flier. Please do not shout out to Mookie by name. Communication should always be soft spoken and gentle in an effort to persuade a lost dog to approach rather than be approached.

Please do not post potential sightings as a comment under this post as social media posting of exact locations of missing dogs leads to attracting crowds that can easily further frighten a lost dog.

All of our entities will continue to work together with our common goal of Mookie's safe return home.

08/14/2026

We responded to assist in an incident about which we don't need to go into details; however, it has prompted us to put out this PSA...

If your pet or someone else's pet is traveling inside your motor vehicle with you, please secure the pet with some type of restraint system that humanely secures the pet and restricts it from moving about your vehicle.

This protects you, the pet(s) inside your vehicle and other motorists.

08/12/2026

When the owner of an indoor cat contacts us to report that their cat has escaped, one of the things we advise is that indoor cats don't tend to venture farther than a few-house radius, as they are usually quickly frightened and seek an immediate hiding spot.

A few days ago that theory proved true, although this indoor cat's displacement hideout came with a little more than for what than the cat had bargained when it found itself stuck underneath a heavy cave-like matted pile of leaves, coupled with an entanglement within an old palleted wooden fence and two intertwined wire fences, one of which was also embedded underneath the leaf cave deep into the ground.

The report was made to us after the caller's dog discovered the cat when it was let out into its backyard.

Fortunately, there were two upsides to the cat's predicament. First, the space was shaded, as it was sunny and nearly 90 degrees outside, and second, the cat's head was clear of the wood, wires and heavy debris, allowing it an open space for airflow.

The downside was that the location of the cat's trapped body was actually on an abutting property with no one home to allow our entry.

At this point, we didn't even know the full extent of the cat's predicament since all we could see was it's head/face; however, the cat was calm, quiet and displayed no symptoms of heat exhaustion or stress, which allowed us some relief and time.

We could only reach the cat's head with a long stick and we did offer it some words of encouragement and several well-received light strokes of affection on the sides of its face, but when we moved the stick near to where we considered the rest of the cat's body was located, it agitated the cat leaving us a bit concerned it might be injured.

Fast forward about two hours after we continued to monitor the cat and once we were able to access the neighbor's property and grasp the extent of the cat's predicament.

We dug through the leaf cave and made contact with the cat's body; however, we still couldn't move it. The property owner wasn’t thrilled about our consideration to cut the wires of his fence so we tried using a catch pole to lift and hold back a portion of the wire fencing while we uncoiled and bent various sections of the wire. At first we didn't think it would be enough, but then amidst our efforts the cat pushed through a small space we created and ran into the caller's yard.

We were then able to secure the cat with a little unexpected help by the cat's owner, who noticed our parked ACO vehicle and called out to us from the top of the yard, considering that we may be in the area for her cat which had escaped her home (next door) the prior evening. The owner's presence led to us to backing off to allow the cat a familiar 'friend' to ease its fears of capture.

Once 'Chibbs' was in its owner's arms, we were able to better confirm that the cat presented with no obvious injuries or other health concerns, so we advised its owner to monitor it, hydrate it, and once settled, check it's body and gait more thoroughly for any initially unnoticed injuries (or ticks!)

Thanks for alerting us to 'Chibbs' so that we could help rescue it, Sarah! And please thank your sweet Boxer for his marvelous snout of discovery!

Remember, cat owners, if your cat should go missing, start with all of your neighbors as the cat is probably that close to home!

08/06/2026

Yup, another heat advisory for the next few days!

🌞🐾Keep your pets indoors

🌞🐾Avoid hot pavement

🌞🐾Provide constant fresh water

🌞🐾Limit walks to early morning and/or late evening

🌞🐾Never leave an animal in a parked car

'If you see something, say something'!🐾