By Bob Katzen

The House and Senate approved and sent to Gov. Maura Healey a bill that would allow the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources to establish rules and regulations for dog kennels in the Bay State, to ensure animal welfare, protect consumers and keep kennel staff safe. A person who violates the regulations would be fined $500 for a first offense and $1,000 for a second or subsequent offense.

Required regulations would include obtaining a license from the municipality, an annual inspection, dog to staff ratio specifications, injury reporting, indoor and outdoor physical facility requirements, insurance and minimal housing and care requirements.

Supporters said that currently, the state has no oversight of dog daycare or boarding kennels. They argued it is estimated that a dog is injured or killed every 9 to 10 days in Massachusetts at these kennels. They noted that many families have suffered the loss or injury of an animal at a dog daycare or kennel that could have been prevented by commonsense regulations over these facilities.

The bill was filed by Sen. Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford) in memory of “Ollie,” a 7-month-old labradoodle who was attacked by other dogs at a boarding kennel in East Longmeadow. Ollie needed round-the-clock care and surgery and was in the hospital for two months before succumbing to his injuries. While the facility was shut down by town officials, Ollie’s owner Ann 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.

“Pets are family who provide boundless love and affection that we are lucky to receive,” said Montigny. “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.”