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Former dog-control officer accuses Dunkirk of failing to comply with state animal laws
Summary
A former dog-control officer told the council the city repeatedly failed to meet New York State Agriculture & Markets standards for sheltering, sanitation, isolation and veterinary care, and said she requested meetings 14 times without response.
Jennifer Sasso, who identified herself as the former dog-control officer, told the Common Council that she documented repeated shelter failures and sought help from city officials without success.
Sasso cited specific legal obligations, saying New York State Agriculture and Markets requirements that took effect Dec. 15 include safe housing, sanitation, isolation areas, enrichment, mandatory recordkeeping and required veterinary care. “The laws are not optional. They are legal obligations,” she said, and added that she requested meetings 14 separate times and received no response.
Sasso said the shelter lacked supplies, proper sanitation, isolation protections and training; she said those failures put animals at risk and implicated city staff and elected officials who did not act on her reports. The comment period time limit ended before she could expand on every example; the chair cut off public comment after the allotted time.
At the meeting the council later adopted Resolution 38-2026 authorizing a new dog-control services agreement, but no substantive discussion in the record from city officials about Sasso’s allegations appears in the transcript.
