By Bob Katzen

Legislation that would require any State Department of Transportation (DOT) highway employees who find deceased dogs or cats on roads with identification, to either attempt to directly contact the owner or to notify local animal control officers or the police department, was given initial approval by the House in February.

The House has not taken any further action on the measure which has since been languishing in the Committee on Bills in Third Reading.
“Losing a pet is hard enough,” said sponsor Rep. Richard Haggerty (D-Woburn) when the bill was approved in February. “Not knowing what happened to them makes it even harder. Right now, if a DOT employee finds a dog or cat, with an ID tag or microchip, which has been hit and killed on a state highway, there is no requirement for them to let the owner know. Families are left waiting and wondering, sometimes never getting answers. It is a straightforward, compassionate step that asks very little of the state but gives grieving families the one thing they need most — closure.”