Daycare Owner’s Facility Shut Down Over Concerns About Her Dogs

Parents and caregivers know just how important it is to find a good daycare facility for your children. And while oftentimes you'll pay a premium to be able to send your children somewhere safe that is run by someone trustworthy, every once in a while, you can find a spot that won't break the bank.

However, families in Webster, Massachusetts, are left scrambling to find childcare after the facility they had been sending their kiddos to was unexpectedly shuttered for a surprising reason.

That's because the daycare was shut down after an inspector claimed she was attacked by the owner's dogs when she popped in for a surprise visit.

However, the daycare's owner says that the claims aren't exactly an accurate depiction of what is going on at her home-based daycare, and the families of the children she's been entrusted to watch for more than two decades are standing by her as she fights to get the business opened back up.

Here's everything we know about the situation.

According to 7 News Boston, Kim Adams has had to keep a "closed" sign on her Circle of Friends daycare facility since a state inspector says that she was attacked by one of Adams' three English mastiffs.

The inspector claims that she showed up while the facility was closed, and when she tried to gain access to the garage, one of the dogs jumped on her, scratching and biting her.

“This wasn’t something that would happen if I was open for daycare,” Adams said in the interview. “My dogs are not out front during pick up or drop off.” The inspector, who works for the state's Department of Early Education and Care (EEC), says that this isn't the first time she has been attacked by Adams's dogs.

She claims that she was also bitten in January after passing through a gate that said, "no trespassing," which appears to be where Adams keeps her dogs.

The EEC completed an investigation into the situation, and ultimately found that the dogs posed no threat to the "children in the childcare setting." However, that hasn't helped Adams get her daycare back up and running, since the EEC has required her to keep the doors closed for several months, which has put angry parents in a challenging situation with their children.

While parents are rallying behind the daycare owner and her dogs, there is one thing holding Circle of Friends back from opening up: A signature. Adams says that the state is requiring her to sign a document stating that the dogs are prohibited from being in the area where the children are, which she thinks sends a negative message to families.

“It’s pretty much advertising that it’s not safe here,” she says. “I just can’t sign something that’s not representing the facts of their own investigation.”

This has caused the EEC to revoke the Circle of Friends license, which Adams is required to have in order to reopen.

As of the time of publication, Adams was in the process of filing an appeal. However, if the agency and Adams cannot come to an agreement about the dogs, the 24-year-old facility will be forced to remain closed indefinitely.