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Animal Control
Mission Statement
The Plymouth Animal Control Office's primary mission is to protect the safety of the public and animals. Ensure compliance with town, state, and federal laws governing animals. Educate and promote responsible pet ownership. Provide temporary housing and care of animals. Reunite missing pets with owners and re-home unclaimed animals.
Dog Licenses & Kennel Permits
Dog licenses and kennel permits are processed and licensed by the Town Clerk's Office, not the Animal Control Office.
- Does the Animal Control Department dispose of dead animals?
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Domestic Animals
Animal Control does not remove and dispose of domestic/personal animals.
Please contact your veterinarian for assistance and recommendations.
Wildlife
The Animal Control Department will remove deceased animals that are creating a traffic hazard from public ways only.
Animal Control may remove deceased rabies vector wildlife from private property (such as bats, coyotes, raccoons, fox, skunks, etc.) only if there was a potential exposure to a person or pet, such as a bite or scratch. Removal is done to have the animal tested for rabies. You may also have an animal tested on your own- please contact the department for information.
Animal Control does not remove deceased animals that do not fit into the above categories from private property, and you will need to dispose of it yourself. If you have to remove a deceased animal from your property, avoid using bare hands when handling the carcass. Place the animal in a plastic bag or garbage bag, and dispose of the animal with your routine trash. For larger animals free of disease, you may dig a hole on your property deep enough so curious coyotes won't dig it up, typically about 3 feet deep or place it in a wooded area on your property, or property you have permission to use from the owner, far from people, pets, homes, etc. Expect that coyotes and other scavenging animals will be arriving in short order to feed on the carcass.
A final option is to contact a wildlife removal company to remove the animal for you for a fee. There are a number of options available online- Animal Control cannot by law recommend a specific company.
- I have problems with wildlife. What are my choices? Can I capture it?
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Local Animal Control Officers and Police Officers have no powers which enable them to handle problem wildlife. The state fish and wildlife division has licensed problem wildlife agents for this purpose. They do charge for their services! This also includes coyotes. The town can only take action against coyotes that are aggressive towards persons or diseased. The town cannot remove wildlife just because it’s living under your shed, etc. For more information visit the MassWildlife website.
- Will you have to tell the animal owner who reported the complaint?
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No! We do not divulge information on our callers. It is very important for our department to have the complainant's information though because it assists our investigation and allows us to speed up the process.