TOWN OF CANTON, New York (WWNY) – A dog sanctuary based in St. Lawrence County has been denied a special use permit.
The No Dogs Left Behind sanctuary started taking shape in March to house abused and rescued dogs from around the world.
According to Kitty O’Neil, chair of the St. Lawrence County Planning Board, a special use permit was denied because the business applied as a “kennel” and officials feel the business model is different than that of a routine kennel because the dogs will stay longer at the sanctuary.
“These are not, at least a good portion of them if you look at the website for No Dogs Left Behind, they’re not really going there temporarily. They’re going to be there for a really long time and their behavior is something else. They’re not really pet dogs; they’ve had a very traumatic life and so it doesn’t quite fit the definition of a kennel,” she said.
The sanctuary has recently faced criticism from residents complaining about constant barking on the property.
The Canton Town Planning Office says No Dogs Left Behind will continue to work toward its permit with a meeting set for July.
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