Thursday, August 24, 2017

Dog Days of Summer

One year ago today, I joined Governor Charlie Baker, Senator Mark Montigny and Representative Lori Ehrlich and others for the bill signing of An Act Preventing Animal Suffering and Death. The State House bill signing ceremony helped raise awareness that pets should not be left in vehicles unattended in extreme weather.

Too many times people have wondered what to do as an animal suffers in a locked car. Now there's a definitive answer backed by the protections of this law.

Major provisions of the law include measures that: • Restrict dog tethering or leaving a dog outdoors in extreme weather or when a weather advisory, warning or watch is issued, • Allow citizens and officers to free animals confined in a locked car after making reasonable efforts to locate the vehicle’s owner, • Set penalties, up to $500, and possible criminal animal cruelty charges for owners who neglect animals in vehicles, • Provide immunity from criminal or civil liability for those who take actions to release a trapped animal.