An Act to Increase Kennel Safety (Massachusetts)

The Animal Legal Defense Fund supports this bill.

Sponsors: State Sen. Mark Montigny (D-2nd Bristol and Plymouth), Rep. Brian Ashe (D-2nd Hampden)
Introduction Date: January 19, 2023

Ollie’s Law (S. 1309/H. 4919) will protect both animals and families by requiring the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources to establish reasonable rules and regulations for boarding kennels and daycare facilities. Such regulations will address minimum housing and care requirements as well as providing greater transparency and reporting of injuries to animals or people.

This bill will also:

• establish an advisory committee to advise on kennel regulations;
• increase guidance for animal control officers conducting investigations; and
• provide municipalities with clear language outlining the allowable maximum number of animals at the facility and requiring that municipalities issue and revoke kennel licenses when appropriate.

Massachusetts’s resident Amy Baxter brought her family’s beloved puppy, a Labradoodle named Ollie, to a local doggy daycare. Surely the experience would involve socializing and playing with other dogs in a professional, supervised environment that would not only be beneficial for Ollie, but a whole lot of fun for the sweet, friendly puppy.

It turned out to be anything but. An hour and a half after Ms. Baxter dropped Ollie off, the doggy daycare texted, stating she needed to pick Ollie up and take him to a vet because of a cut. When Ms. Baxter arrived, the situation was far more severe. Ollie had been mauled by multiple dogs.

Ollie underwent three surgeries and spent two months in the hospital, only to pass away from his injuries. The doggy daycare eventually closed, but the Baxter’s pain endured, and Amy Baxter decided no family should ever have to go through what hers did.

In 2020, she joined forces with state legislators, other families who suffered similar tragedies, responsible doggy daycare owners, and animal protection organizations, including the Animal Legal Defense Fund, to lobby for a law to require regulations for doggie daycare kennels. An Act to Increase Kennel Safety (also known as Ollie’s Law) was introduced on January 19, 2023 and signed in to law by Governor Maura Healey on September 20, 2024.

ALDF Senior Legislative Affairs Manager Stephanie Harris worked alongside Amy Baxter and her daughter Isabel and the entire Ollie’s Law Coalition — testifying at the public hearing, co-hosting a lobby day for animals, attending a rally on the state house steps, engaging the ALDF network in support of the bill, and facilitating an online campaign to recruit, educate, and inform members of the public.

“Tragically, Ollie’s death was not an isolated incident — there have been numerous deaths, serious injuries, and escapes from doggie daycares in the Commonwealth,” Ms. Harris explained. “After years of advocacy and asking families to retell their heartbreaking stories, we have now carved a safer path forward where fewer animals will suffer thanks to state oversight of these kennels and clear, enforceable standards related to housing and care, including staff-to-dog ratios and injury reporting.”

ALDF thanks Rep. Brian Ashe, Sen. Mark Montigny, Rep. Carole Fiola, and Sen. Jacob Oliveira for their leadership; Amy Baxter, the MSPCA-Angell, Animal Rescue League of Boston, and the entire Ollie’s Law Coalition as well as the many advocates and stakeholders.

For more information about animal protection legislation in Massachusetts and opportunities to take action for animals, visit aldf.org/massachusetts.