This page summarizes Animal Control activity across the full coverage area for calendar year 2025. Brandon E. Holmes serves as Animal Control Officer for Buckfield, Hartford, Sumner, West Paris, Stoneham, and the Oxford County Unorganized Territories under a multi-town contract.
A total of 892 calls for service were documented across all coverage areas in 2025. Each town’s data is tracked independently. Use the links below to read the full report for each town.
2025 Reports by Town
- West Paris – 303 calls | 8,261 miles
- Buckfield – 202 calls | 2,179 miles
- Sumner – 175 calls | 3,908 miles
- Hartford – 116 calls | 1,696 miles (first year under contract)
- Stoneham – 25 calls | 968 miles (new contract, partial year)
- Oxford County Unorganized Territories – 19 calls | 983 miles (new contract, partial year)
Combined Call Volume by Type
The following totals reflect all documented case activities across all coverage areas in 2025:
- Stray or loose animals – 528
- Bite investigations and quarantine enforcement – 80
- General animal control and ordinance – 44
- Sick or injured animals – 39
- Livestock at large – 35
- Cruelty to animals – 32
- Neglect investigations – 29
- Abandonment cases – 24
- Noise complaints – 14
- Owner surrenders – 13
- Kennel inspections – 12
- Welfare checks – 10
- Administrative and continuing education – 11
- Deceased animals – 9
- Aggressive behavior – 6
- Hoarding investigation – 1
Total Mileage
Across all towns and jurisdictions, approximately 17,995 miles were logged in 2025. That includes emergency response, shelter and veterinary transports, quarantine follow-ups, kennel inspections, compliance visits, and allocated training travel. In several towns, particularly Stoneham and the Oxford County UTs, the remote geography means high mileage per call is expected and built into the contract structure.
Community Cat Program
The community cat program continued to expand in 2025. West Paris led the effort with 64 cats spayed or neutered and 27 entering the shelter system for adoption. Hartford added an additional 8 cats through a December TNR run, with surgical costs covered by Maine Humane. Planning was also completed in 2025 to establish monthly low-cost spay and neuter clinics in Harrison beginning in 2026, which will significantly reduce transport distances for residents and community cat caretakers across the coverage area.
New Contracts in 2025
Three new contracts came online during 2025: Hartford, Stoneham, and the Oxford County Unorganized Territories. Each of these is reported separately with partial-year data. As full-year contracts develop, the data from those towns will provide stronger baselines for service planning and budget discussions.
Training and Continuing Education
The following training was completed in 2025 and allocated proportionally across contracted towns:
- Maine CARES – hosted by ASPCApro, focused on coordinated community animal response and emergency preparedness
- Large Animal Emergency Rescue (LAER) Parts I and II – classroom and hands-on training with horses and donkeys
- Maine Humane Conference – three CE credits covering humane handling, community cat programs, and communication
Contact
To report an animal control concern in any of the covered towns, contact Oxford County Dispatch at 207-743-9554, Option 0. Dispatch is available 24 hours a day.