A heartfelt mission sparked by tragedy has led to new protections for dogs across the state.
Governor Maura Healy signed Ollie’s Law, a bill dedicated to improving the safety and oversight for kennels and daycare facilities across Massachusetts, on Oct. 10.
The legislation was named in honor of a seven-month-old labradoodle who was fatally mauled at a kennel, and aims to prevent similar tragedies through stricter regulations and increased transparency for pet care services, according to WCVB. Amy Baxter, Ollie’s owner, channeled her grief into a mission for change. She advocated for regulations to improve the safety of kennels, daycares and boarding facilities by forming the Ollie’s Law Coalition.
With the support of Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Boston Dog Lawyers and other organizations, Baxter’s advocacy efforts were instrumental in pushing the bill through the state legislature, said Jeremy Cohen, founder of Boston Dog Lawyers and Baxter’s attorney.
“To change the law is so difficult, and it really takes the right client,” Cohen said. “Amy just had everything that was needed, including patience. She had the right amount of anger, but she was reasonable.”
Kara Holmquist, director of advocacy at MSPCA, said Ollie’s Law aims to protect animals and prevent injuries and fatalities that occur in the business.
“[We] have had so many people go to the Statehouse and testify about really preventable tragedies that have happened that should not happen once this law takes effect,” she said.
Under Ollie’s Law, the new regulations include staff-to-dogs ratio requirements, staff training on dogfights and on-site staff at overnight boarding facilities, said Cohen.
“A lot of [these regulations] are common sense,” Cohen said. “It’s just to have a procedure for each sort of ‘what if,’ and as a lawyer, I see a lot of the ‘what ifs,’ and so many are preventable.”
One of the most troubling realities prior to the passage of Ollie’s Law was the absence of accountability in the pet care industry. Cohen said he managed cases surrounding the loss or injury of a dog due to negligence at daycares and kennels.
Cohen said in one case, he represented the owner of a West Highland terrier named Lily, who suffered severe chemical burns after workers at a boarding facility cleaned her crate while she was inside. After licking the chemicals from the cleaning disinfectants, Lily spent “nine nights in the hospital,” lost a “portion of her tongue” and contracted pneumonia.
The kennel’s owner and lawyer responded by saying Lily “consented to the consequences,” an excuse Cohen said “won’t be acceptable anymore” with Ollie’s Law.
“Now the state is going to hold [daycares and kennels] to a certain standard,” Cohen said. “We’ll no longer have to wait for a dog to die or get hurt, as pet owners, for the kennel to come under the spotlight.”
Marisa Marino, a 2021 Boston University graduate who studied biology on a pre-veterinary track, said Ollie’s Law represents a step forward in protecting pets, providing dogs with their “five freedoms” — a set of basic animal welfare principles.
“Freedom from hunger and thirst, freedom from discomfort, freedom from pain, injury or disease, freedom to express normal behavior and freedom from fear or distress would be critical things to keep in mind when making these proposed rights on boarding and daycare legislation,” Marino said.
Marino said Ollie’s Law will not only protect animals but also provide peace of mind for pet owners.
“How do you know what goes on behind closed doors?” Marino said of choosing people to care for pets. “At least with this law, you would be able to have that validity and trust in the company that you’re choosing … because it would be state-mandated.”
To educate pet owners in the area and boarding kennels, Holmquist said they are working to develop guidance documents and forums, which will ensure all stakeholders are informed about the new requirements.
Holmquist said that even though Ollie’s Law has been passed, the work is far from over.
“We’ll still be very committed to this issue for the next few years to make sure that it’s rolled out well and that there’s a lot of input,” Holmquist said. “Hopefully, it will be a model for other states.”
Moving forward, Cohen said he and potentially others from the Ollie’s Law Coalition are setting their sights on other areas of the pet care industry, particularly breeders.
“We’re coming for the breeders,” Cohen said. “They take no accountability, similar to what boarding facilities are doing.”
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