Ashley Alfario and husband Brandon win board approval to move kennel application to public hearing

Ashley Alfario and her husband, Brandon, told the Limington Planning Board on July 20 they want to build a small, home-based dog kennel on their 6-acre property on Gilbert Lane and the board voted to accept the application for processing and a public hearing.

The application seeks to place kennel facilities on less than one acre of the lot. "We are asking today that we are able to build a small 6 dog kennel on our property," Alfario said, describing a plan that would allow occasional boarding and grooming while maintaining a residential character. She said the operation would normally board 2–3 dogs at a time and would not run as a daily, full-time commercial facility.

The applicants described specific site and facility plans: a 30-by-10-foot concrete pad with six gated stalls to separate dogs that do not get along, interior garage renovations with epoxy for cleanup, and a grooming table. Alfario said she intends grooming mostly in the afternoons (she proposed roughly 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays) and that boarding drop-off times would be flexible. She said the property is set back from the road with woods to the rear that act as a noise buffer for neighbors.

Alfario told the board she has contracted waste pickup arrangements (named vendor noted in testimony) and access to larger dumpster service through an affiliated business for bagged waste; she also said the Maine Department of Agriculture will determine whether a boarding-license should be issued and will inspect grounds and sanitation before licensing and during annual follow-ups. She listed veterinary resources for emergencies, including the Portland Emergency Clinic and Hollis Animal Clinic, and said she will require standard vaccinations (distemper and rabies) and requests kennel-cough (bordetella) for boarded dogs.

The board set next steps at the meeting. Chair called for and received a motion to accept the application for processing and public hearing; the motion was seconded by "Bob" (second recorded) and the board voted in favor. The board scheduled a site walk at 7:00 a.m. on the planning-board meeting date (August 3) and a site visit with participating members at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday the 28th.

Board members asked questions about supervision and breed limits; Alfario said someone would always be present when dogs were boarded, that she would decline aggressive animals, and that she has experience handling larger and working breeds. She also said proceeds from the venture would be used in part to support a nascent nonprofit rescue effort she and others are organizing, though the nonprofit is not yet established.

The application will proceed to the advertised public hearing in two weeks; licensing and final permission to board will be determined by the Maine Department of Agriculture after its inspection process.