Ollie’s Law to establish statewide regulations for pet boarding and daycare facilities

Today, the Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL), along with other animal welfare organizations and stakeholders, joined Governor Maura Healey at the Massachusetts State House for a bill signing ceremony for Ollie’s Law – which will establish statewide regulations for pet boarding and daycare facilities in the state.

Pictured left to right: ARL’s Media Relations Manager, Mike DeFina; Allison Blanck, ARL’s Director of Advovavy; Governor Maura Healey; ARL’s President & CEO, Dr. Edward Schettino

For the past two legislative sessions, ARL advocated heavily for the passage of this legislation to help establish across-the-board, reasonable regulations for pet boarding and daycare facilities, including home-based kennels, to help prevent situations where an animal can be injured, sometimes fatally.

Ollie’s Law was born out of tragedy.

In 2020, Amy Baxter brought her Labradoodle Ollie to a Western Massachusetts doggie daycare facility, only to receive a text shortly after saying Ollie had been attacked by other dogs.

He was severely injured, and sadly died of his injuries two months later.

While the facility was shuttered by town officials, Baxter was stunned to learn that there were no state regulations regarding boarding facilities, and soon took up the fight to help ensure tragedies like this never happen again.

This signing ceremony marks a tremendous victory for pet owners across the Commonwealth.

“ARL is immensely thankful to the Governor for her signature on Ollie’s Law,” stated ARL President and CEO Dr. Edward Schettino. “Through the dedication of animal advocates and the support of the legislature, including bill sponsors Representative Brian Ashe and Senator Mark Montigny, Ollie’s Law creates a path to reasonable regulation to protect pets in daycare and boarding facilities across Massachusetts. At ARL we believe pets are family and we grateful that more pets and pet parents will benefit from this important law. Ollie’s Law will lessen the burden on consumers, creating clear standards and allowing for enforcement by both municipalities and the state when there are violations.  With pet ownership at historic highs, we know that there are more pet parents than ever who need these services. This law is crucial to keep Massachusetts a leader in animal protection.”

“Pets are family who provide boundless love and affection that we are lucky to receive,” said Senator Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford), lead Senate sponsor of Ollie’s Law.  “For this reason, it is critical that we ensure all businesses entrusted with the care of our family adhere to proper health and safety protocols no matter what town they operate in across the Commonwealth.  Too often, we have heard devastating stories of pets like Ollie who have been injured or killed due to negligent care.  These people have no place caring for such precious creatures and it’s time that we implement consistent standards across Massachusetts.”

“With the passing of Ollie’s Law, we take a vital step forward in ensuring the safety and well-being of our beloved pets. It is bittersweet as the tragic passing of Ollie made us painfully aware of the lack of safety regulations in dog day care facilities. This legislation sets practical standards for kennel care and reaffirms our commitment to treating all animals with the love and respect they deserve. The collaboration of individuals from all facets of the industry as well as pet owners was critical in crafting a bill that ensures consumers will have peace of mind when choosing pet care.  I would like to thank Ally Blanck and the ARL team for their hard work and commitment to this legislation.  Their assistance in navigating through the process combined with experience and a passion for animal rights was invaluable.”, remarked State Representative Brian Ashe.

What the Law Will Do

On the surface, Ollie’s Law will establish statewide regulations for pet boarding and daycare facilities, however, the law is comprehensive.

Ollie’s law will do the following:

• Reinforce existing requirements for municipalities in defining what a boarding facility is and maintains protections regarding inspections
• Adds the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) to the list of authorized enforcement for commercial boarding facilities, allowing them to step in when a municipality can’t or won’t
• Requires facilities report injuries to animals or people, MDAR will provide a form which can also be filled out by the public. Following an investigation, these reports will be made public
• Authorizes MDAR to establish regulations for boarding facilities which may include:
  • Administrative: licensing, inspection, compliance and enforcement, use of best practices and operation
  • Animal Safety: provider and staff to animal ratios, fire and emergency planning, group sizes and supervision, minimum housing and care requirements, indoor and outdoor physical facility requirements, utilities
  • Employee Safety and Training: body language interpretation, breed familiarity, dog handling, insurance, proper education and training of dog daycare staff, operational safety standards, risk management, and consumer education and protection
• Establishes an advisory committee to assist with development and review of regulations and will consist of MDAR, licensed commercial boarding or training facility owners, animal control officers, kennel associations, veterinary professionals, members of the public, dog behavior experts, and shelter and rescue organizations (including ARL)

ARL’s Board Safely® Campaign

Spurred by heartbreaking stories much like Ollie’s, since 2019, ARL has offered the public help through the “Board Safely” campaign.

This important safety campaign provides pet parents a checklist of considerations before selecting a boarding facility.

Before you choose a boarding facility or doggie daycare, please visit ARL’s Board Safely page to help advocate for the safety of your beloved pet!