Loose dog incidents appear to be on the rise in Swampscott, with 24 reports filed with the Police Department from January through the end of June and nearly 40% of them occurring in June alone, according to Sgt. Brendan Reen, the department’s public information officer.
Approximately one-third of all dogs and cats in the US go missing, according to data from pet microchip identification system Peeva. While a large number of pets go missing, a good percentage are recovered. Pet911.org says 63% of lost dogs and 52% of lost cats were successfully recovered in 2024.
Warm weather is one reason dogs may run away or go missing, Reen said. Psychology Today even noted that warmer southern states experience higher rates of lost dogs year round. In Swampscott, nine of the 24 incidents occurred in the hot month of June this year alone. Reen noted that averaging about one loose dog per week is “pretty normal.”
“It is a lot,” Reen said. “More people have dogs…And I think more people are going back to work, and therefore they put their dogs out in the yard for a couple of hours and they inevitably get out.”
Reen also said that while owners are home — working or doing chores — they may let their dogs out, and “it may jump the fence and get loose” when they’re not paying attention.
Sora, the town’s comfort dog, reminded residents via the Police Department’s Facebook page that hot weather can be dangerous for pets, though.
“If your hand touching the pavement is too hot to the touch, just think about what that does to a dog’s paw,” Reen said. “You have to really be careful about keeping dogs exposed to the hot weather. Their systems can be compromised a lot faster than ours can. It is important for them, just like us, to be hydrated.”
A few years ago, a dog was caught on Burrill Street after running loose across the whole town, Reen recalled.
“Every time you would approach, it would keep running, but it was the happiest you’d ever see a dog,” Reen said. “We found out it was from way over on the other side of Lynn and Peabody. That dog had probably run for four or five miles nonstop. It was very happy.”
Reen encouraged Swampscott residents to register their dogs with Town Hall, as required.
Swampscott dog licenses are valid for one calendar year. Spayed or neutered dogs cost $10 to register, intact dogs $25, and a kennel license for four or more dogs is $50, according to the town’s website.
“That is one way we could really help identify some of these dogs,” Reen said. “We have a registry where you get your dog licensed, and it matches with the owner of the dog, where they live, and we can easily reach out to someone that might have a loose dog.”
Facebook has also proven “very helpful,” Reen said.
“We have a really good Facebook community…We do have a lot of neighbors that look out for each other,” Reen said. “All of the area of Swampscott community people are super good about taking a photo, sending it around, or even we do it when we get one dropped off to us at the station.”
Within about 10 minutes, Reen said Facebook has often allowed the police to reunite the dog with its owner.
“We did have one stay a little bit longer than we liked, but ultimately we were able to find someone to take care of the dog,” Reen said.
Most recently, a white, friendly dog named Oliver went missing from Rose Street and was found three days later, according to Facebook posts. The image of Ollie was posted on multiple groups, all encouraging residents to look out for him.
The Swampscott Police Department is allowed to keep a dog or stray cat for up to 10 days, through its policies. At the station, there is a large dog cage with a blanket and access to dog treats.
“It’s not ideal but it’s certainly not like being in a cell or anything like that,” Reen said. “We certainly would like to reunite the dog with its owner as soon as possible.”
