Animal control officer off the job after dog dies at her kennel

EAST BRIDEGWATER, Mass. — The owner of a local dog kennel is under investigation after police say a dog died while in her care.

FOX25 has also learned that woman is an animal control officer in a nearby town.

Annie Brown has been serving as the animal control officer in East Bridgewater on a contractual basis, but that contract has since been suspended in the wake of the allegations.

The owner of this German shepherd named Maximus told police he used Annie's Clean Critters in Whitman on July 22, but when he returned after the weekend, no one answered the phone or the door.

Max's owner told FOX25 that Brown said Max had died of a condition known as stomach bloat.

In a Facebook post, Max's owner wrote, "I can't live with the fact that not one person was there while my dog was in pain, dying in a small cage, all alone."

He also claims Brown never apologized for Max's death.

Since the death, changes have been made at the outdoor kennel, including the addition of a shade canopy.

Brown was nowhere in sight when FOX25 visited the kennel Wednesday, and a request for comment about the allegations went unanswered.

The police chief in East Bridgewater said since Brown's contract suspension, the city has been receiving support from animal control officers in nearby towns.

Cox Media Group