Lowell Council moves to separate dog daycares from kennel cap, asks solicitor to draft ordinance

Lowell City Council voted Tuesday to direct the city solicitor to draft an amendment to the city’s kennel ordinance so it treats dog daycares differently from overnight kennels and to report back to the council next week.

The move followed public testimony and petitions from local dog daycare owners and users who said a longstanding local cap of 25 dogs — now implicated by new state requirements commonly referred to in testimony as “Ollie’s Law” — could force some daycares to shrink or close. Petitions filed with the council were docketed as items 11.3 and 11.4 and were referred for solicitor and departmental review.

Councilors and business owners said the existing city ordinance was written for traditional kennels and not for businesses that provide daytime care or grooming. Councilor Getchia, who brought the ordinance item forward, said the change is intended to protect small, local businesses while keeping any future ordinance consistent with state law.

Why it matters: Pet daycare operators told the council that treating daycares the same as overnight boarding facilities creates a hard cap that does not account for differences in staffing, indoor space or safety practices. Councilors…