Ollie’s Law in effect in Massachusetts

BOSTON, Mass. (WLNE) — Ollie’s Law has taken effect in Massachusetts.

According to the MSPCA, in 2020, Amy Baxter got an alarming text from that her 7-month-old Labradoodle puppy, Ollie, had been injured badly in a dog fight.

Ollie was in the hospital for two months before he died from his injuries.

Amy would never receive answers from the facility on how and why her dog was injured so badly.

This bill, which was signed by Governor Maura Healey, would require the Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) to establish reasonable rules and regulations for boarding kennels and daycare facilities.

The law establishes protection of all animals and workers at boarding kennels and daycare facilities.

“Ollie was a beautiful and innocent puppy whose life was tragically cut short due to the negligent actions of an unlicensed doggy daycare facility,” said Amy Baxter, owner of Ollie in a statement.

Baxter continued:

“Ollie’s Law is the culmination of nearly four years of work to craft meaningful and impactful regulation of the kennel industry so that no animal, and no family, ever have to suffer like Ollie and our family did after this devastating and preventable tragedy. As we approach the fourth anniversary of his death, my daughter and I continue to mourn Ollie. Nothing will mitigate the pain and suffering he endured, but with this law, Ollie will leave a legacy of healing by helping and protecting other animals.”

The law requires:

• Licensure scheme for kennels, as Massachusetts previously had no state oversight of daycare and boarding facilities,
• All kennels to be licensed and all dogs to be individually licensed,
• Municipalities to establish a limit to the number of animals that can be housed by a kennel based on accommodations and available staff,
• Cities and towns to issue every type of kennel license defined in current law and require all kennels to obtain a license to operate,
• Municipalities to ensure enforcement of the law.

According to Ollie’s Law, Boarding and training kennels will have to report to municipal licensing authorities all injuries to people or animals.

MDAR, which was involved in the drafting of this legislation, will be required to adopt detailed operational and safety regulations with assistance from an advisory committee.