Today marks World Rabies Day, a day to raise awareness about the public health impacts of human and animal rabies.

Rabies is a viral disease that can affect all mammals, including humans, and kills nearly 60,000 worldwide annually.

The virus attacks the central nervous system and can be secreted in saliva. Infected animals show no fear of humans, drool and act in an agitated fashion.

While we mostly associate rabies to wild animals – mainly skunks, raccoons, bats, coyotes, and foxes, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), cats have become the most common domestic animal infected with rabies.

Vaccination

Rabies vaccines are approved for dogs, cats, ferrets, horses, cattle, and sheep – and vaccination is the best measure to prevent rabies.

Every dog, cat, and ferret adopted from the Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) is vaccinated for rabies, however, it’s important to remember that after receiving an initial vaccination, your pet will need boosters.

Boosters are administered every year, or every 3 years, depending on which vaccine your pet receives.

It’s also important to remember that rabies vaccination in Massachusetts is the law!

To help ensure your pets are vaccinated, ARL’s Dedham and Brewster locations host rabies clinics annually, and for clients of either ARL’s Spay Waggin’ or Wellness Waggin’, rabies vaccines, if needed, are included for every pet seen.

ARL vaccinates thousands of animals annually!

Additional Prevention

Along with having your pet vaccinated, some other measures to prevent rabies exposure include:

• Do not let your pets roam free. Keep cats indoors, and keep an eye on your pup when they are outside
• Do not leave exposed garbage or pet food outside – it may attract wild or stray animals
• Observe wild animals from a distance, and never handle unfamiliar animals, even if they appear friendly
• If you see a wild animal acting strangely, contact your local animal control officer

Take a moment today to see if your pet’s rabies vaccine is up-to-date, and help us spread the word about World Rabies Day to ensure you, your family, and your pets stay safe from the rabies virus.

It was a busy week on Beacon Hill, as a bevy of legislative proposals were heard by numerous committees at the Massachusetts State House, including three animal-protection bills that the Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) spoke in favor of.

Nero’s Law

H.2547/S.1606, An Act providing for the care and transportation of police dogs injured in the line of duty (Nero’s Law) was discussed with the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, with ARL and numerous law enforcement agencies throughout the Commonwealth providing testimony.

Nero’s Law was proposed after the tragic death of Yarmouth Police Sgt. Sean Gannon, and the wounding of his K9 partner Nero.

Nero was wounded in the shooting and needed medical attention, however state law currently prohibits the use of ambulances to transporting police dogs.

If passed, the bill would require ambulance services to provide emergency treatment and transport to police dogs.

The bill would require training for EMS in basic level first aid, safe handling procedures, proper decontamination procedures, and sterilization sufficient to prevent allergic reactions for humans.

ARL Director of Law Enforcement Joe King, a former K9 handler and commander with the Massachusetts State Police provided testimony for the committee.

“Law enforcement relies on these dogs to keep us safe,” King said. “They’re the first to make contact with dangerous criminals and I cannot quantify the lives saved because of K9’s who fearlessly go into a situation first. They keep us safe so it’s up to us to do the right thing for them, they deserve whatever resources are available to keep them safe.”

Nero’s Law is co-sponsored by Representative Steven Xiarhos, a retired Yarmouth Police Deputy Chief, and Senator Mark Montigny, a staunch supporter of animal protection law.

“Prior to serving in the Legislature, I spent 40 years on the Yarmouth Police Department and served as the Deputy Chief. On April 12, 2018, I sent a team of highly trained officers on a mission to find and arrest an armed and violent career-criminal, Representative Xiarhos stated. “Three hours later, I learned that my Sergeant, Sean M. Gannon, had been murdered and our K9 Nero was shot in the face. I will never forget the sight of K9 Nero being carried out, covered in blood, and gasping for air. Despite the paramedics present wanting to help save him, they could not legally touch K9 Nero as current Massachusetts law prohibits helping a police animal wounded in the line of duty. It is our duty to protect those who protect us. Their lives matter.”

“These incredible animals risk their lives to work alongside law enforcement in dangerous situations. It is only humane to allow for them to be transported in a way that reflects their contributions to our Commonwealth,” said Senator Montigny. “Sergeant Gannon was a native son of New Bedford and therefore his K9 partner Nero is part of our community’s extended family.  We hope that this never has to be used, but it demonstrates the respect for the crucial work these animals do.”

Ollie’s Law

H.305, An Act to regulate pet daycare facilities in cities and towns, dubbed Ollie’s Law, was discussed this week in the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure.

This bill is in honor of Ollie, a labradoodle who died at a doggy daycare facility in Western Massachusetts. Ollie was injured in a fight and died as a result of the injuries. There was a veterinarian next door, however there was also just one staff member working at the daycare facility.

If passed, the bill would require commercial boarding or training kennels to be licensed through the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR), similar to the current process for animal shelters and pet shops.

Additionally, MDAR would be required to create regulations for: staff to dog ratios, group sizes and supervision, minimum housing and care, indoor and outdoor physical facilities, dog handling, insurance, fire and emergency planning, as well as penalties for non-compliance.

MDAR would also be responsible for regulations regarding staff training, a state-wide reporting system of injuries to dogs or people, among others.

Currently there are no standards or regulations for boarding and training facilities, leaving pet owners the responsibility of doing their research and advocating on behalf of their pet to determine where they should be boarded.

Because there are currently not state-wide regulations for these facilities, ARL created the Kennel-9, a pet safety guide, giving pet owners nine things they should consider before choosing a boarding kennel or daycare facility.

To download the Kennel-9 guide, click here!

ARL has advocated for such regulations in the past and Director of Advocacy Allison Blanck continued these efforts this week.

“Boarding and daycare kennels are unique environments where dogs from different homes interact without their owners,” Blanck stated. “Many of these facilities are well-run and provide necessary socialization and care for dogs. However, the lack of even basic standards means consumers are tasked with both deciding what basic standards are and examining facilities to see if they meet them. A statewide regulatory system would provide confidence to consumers. As we see people return to the office, to travel, and back to their routines, the increased number of families who acquired a pet over the past year are going to be looking for a place to keep their animals. It’s imperative that the Commonwealth act to make sure that all these facilities are adequate.”

Many legislatures are also in favor of such regulations.

“Pet daycare facilities are one of the few industries in the Commonwealth that are unregulated.  There is no license needed from the town or state and no baseline requirements for owners or employees,” said bill sponsor Rep. Brian Ashe. “All of us who own pets understand they are full-fledged members of our families and we want to keep them safe.  Many pet owners assume this industry is regulated and employees are trained or have experience, but that is not the case.   This bill will implement common sense, practical regulations that will provide a base line for businesses to keep the dogs and their employees safe.”

Declawing

This week, the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure also heard testimony for S.222, An Act prohibiting inhumane feline declawing.

This bill, sponsored by Senator Montigny, would prohibit the practice of declawing a cat, unless for the therapeutic purposes, defined as limited medical reasons for the cat’s health.

It would not allow declawing based on behavioral concerns, medical concerns of the owner or concerns of the cat being surrendered.

“Many people who have declawed their cat simply don’t realize the pain it causes.  Declawing is a horrific procedure that inflicts harm and often leads to other behavioral issues.  This bill will help educate the public and ban this cruel practice.  No one who values furniture or material goods over the health and wellbeing of an animal should be a pet owner, and I will continue to advocate for these innocent creatures,” said Senator Montigny.

Advocate for Animals in Massachusetts

While formal hearings have already been held for the aforementioned bills, it’s not too late to ask your legislators to support these proposed laws!

Find your legislator here: https://malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyLegislator

The bills ARL provided testimony for are a small sampling of the animal protection bills currently in front of the legislature.

To learn more about ARL’s Legislative Agenda click here!

Keeping pets and families together more important than ever

The Massachusetts eviction moratorium expired on October 17.

The Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) is now offering temporary housing assistance for pets whose owners may be forced to vacate their current living situation due to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

At the core of its mission, ARL believes in keeping people and pets together, and is offering temporary shelter for animals whose owners may be experiencing housing instability or may be at imminent risk of homelessness. This is an imperative service for individuals facing eviction due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Any pet owner who is experiencing housing instability is potentially eligible for this service, however, priority will be given to existing clients of ARL’s Wellness Waggin’.

The first step in the process is to complete and submit this form. 

Animal admissions are being coordinated through ARL’s animal care and adoption center management staff as space allows.

A prescreening process determines eligibility, and once accepted, the client is responsible for transporting the animal to the specified location.

The animal is held at the animal care and adoption facility temporarily to receive a veterinary exam and behavioral evaluation, and is then placed into a foster home.

Animals have a maximum 120-day stay within ARL’s foster care network, and pet owners must agree to parameters of conditional surrender to ARL including maintaining bi-weekly check-ins throughout the pet’s placement period.

Additional Resources

The Eviction Diversion Initiative (EDI) includes new programming and resources for tenants and landlords to avoid evictions and maintain household stability throughout the COVID-19 emergency. Learn more at Mass.gov. 

As we talked about a few weeks ago, the PAWS bill of 2014 was a wonderful example of how the legislature can be truly committed to protecting animals in Massachusetts.

After the tragic finding of a dog who had been sadistically tortured in 2013, the legislature acted to make sure other animals would not suffer this fate.

With the bill moving on a rapid timeline, concerns were raised that more laws regarding animal welfare needed strengthening. The legislature convened a task force to examine some of these issues. The task force included representatives from animal welfare groups including ARL, law enforcement, attorneys, animal control, and human service providers.

The Task Force

The task force report had numerous recommendations to improve animal welfare in the commonwealth:

• • It proposed ending the cruel requirement that animals seized from fighting operations must be euthanized, instead allowing individual assessment of animals.
  • It would clarify that drowning animals was inhumane.
  • Another recommendation was that landlords be required to check vacant properties for pets.

There were many other more technical suggestions that would strengthen animal welfare ordinances across cities and towns.

The results of the Task Force’s findings would be the basis for an extension of the PAWS bill, this one appropriately called PAWS II.

Legislation

Governor Charlie Baker signing PAWS II into law.

PAWS II was filed in January in 2017, largely mirroring the recommendations of the task force assembled in 2014.

The hearing for the bill was held in October of the first year of the session, and was reported favorably by the committee in December of 2017.

This gave PAWS II a much longer timeframe to get passed than the first PAWS bill.

In March of 2018, the Senate debated the bill.

Two months later, the House debated their version.

The two had to be reconciled, and on July 17, a conference committee was appointed to settle the differences between the two branches. The group had two weeks to come to an agreement.

The final agreement came late in the final day of the session on July 31.

The conference committee was able to secure many important proposals of the task force, including:

• • allowing increased reporting of animal cruelty by human service agency staff;
  • making animal control officers mandated reporters of abuse of elders, individuals with disabilities, and children;
  • requiring landlords check vacant properties for abandoned animals;
  • prohibiting the drowning of animals, update laws regarding animal sexual abuse, including prohibition on future ownership of animals;
  • ending mandatory euthanasia of animals seized from animal fighting operations and allows for individual evaluation of animals;
  • updating penalties and making technical changes improving enforcement of animal control laws, including improperly kept kennels.

The bill was engrossed in the late hours of the legislative session on July 31.

There were still the steps of enactment and being signed into law by the Governor.

Fortunately, both branches and the Governor recognized the importance of these common sense protections, and ARL was able to celebrate the signing of PAWS II at a ceremonial signing in September 2018.

PAWS II was able to move through the legislative process because of the hard work of legislators, staff, and advocates who contacted the legislature to make their voice known.

Want to learn more about how you can get involved in advocacy? Check out our Advocacy 101 post.