Advocacy Updates

October 2024

Governor Signs Ollie’s Law!

We are thrilled that Governor Maura Healey signed “Ollie’s Law” into law! The measure is named after a seven-month-old Labradoodle, Ollie, who was hurt in a dog daycare, and suffered injuries that required round-the-clock care and surgery. Ollie was in the hospital for two months before succumbing to those injuries. His case and others across the state have demonstrated the need for commonsense standards and regulations at dog daycares and boarding facilities — something that will help protect animals, consumers, and employees of those facilities. Read on about this new law!

Bill to Remove Breed Barriers on Governor’s Desk

The legislature just passed H. 4911, An Act relative to animal welfare and reporting of animal cruelty, abuse or neglect, which updates laws and regulations that limit the timeframe human services employees or contractors can report animal abuse. It also removes prohibitions for adoptive and foster homes based solely on dog breeds, allowing more parents and children to become family.  Send Governor Healey an email, asking her to sign H. 4911 into law!

This Halloween pet owners should ensure that their four-legged family members are kept inside, safe and happy. Check out several safety tips that the veterinary team at Angell Animal Medical Center encourage all pet owners to follow during the Halloween season!

Celebrating Our Community Advocacy Leaders

Last month, the Advocacy Department hosted its first-ever celebration for our Community Advocacy Leaders! Twenty-two incredibly dedicated animal advocates from all over Massachusetts met at the MSPCA in Boston. These individuals have spent over 2500 hours advocating for animals, testifying before legislators, working to pass local ordinances, or teaching the members of their community about animal protection issues. Their unwavering commitment was commended as they were recognized for their significant contribution to getting animal protection issues in front of elected officials.

If you want to be more involved in animal advocacy and join this amazing team, please email Bethany at bdezolt@mspca.org for more information on how you can become an MSPCA Community Advocacy Leader!

Wildlife Corner

Heading to the Berkshires!

Have you had problems with wildlife? We hope you can join us for an MSPCA presentation on Coexisting Humanely with Wildlife in Pittsfield and New Marlborough on November 2. Topics include: how to avoid negative encounters with wildlife; information about MSPCA resources, including bear-proofing funding and beaver conflict resolution support; debunking common wildlife myths; and an overview of the MSPCA’s wildlife-related advocacy. These events are free and registration is not required.

Learn more about these events on Nov. 2!

Virtual Forum to Reduce Poisons

We’ve been partnering with many other organizations to address the problems with rodenticides. Raptor-Safe Rat Control: A Forum for Safe Rodent Control in New England is a virtual event that will discuss the successes and challenges of these methods from New England’s leading poison-free pest control professionals that have their boots on the ground. Learn about their proven, wildlife-safe pest control approaches and use this new knowledge to advocate for an end to the use of rodent poisons in your community. It is put on by Mass Audubon, Audubon Society of Rhode Island, and NH Audubon.

Learn more and register for this event!

Fall is Here and Wildlife are Moving!

Now that fall  is here, you will see wildlife foraging for food to store and looking for a nice warm place to live and ride out the winter months. Sometimes this warm place can be inside your home. Now is the time to trim those branches away from your roof, and plug any holes into your home that a furry friend could fit through. These steps are extremely important to do right now if you don’t want wildlife in your home this winter. Evicted animals like squirrels and raccoons in the winter time will almost certainly freeze to death as they might not have enough time to find a new home in the cold months. Being proactive now will help your wild neighbors succeed this winter!

Learn more humane ways to resolve wildlife conflicts in and around your home.

In the News!

Coalition Partner Helping MA Dogs and Families

Our Ollie’s Law coalition partner Jeremy Cohen is a great resource for dog owners and is helping MA families stay together. As a lawyer, he represents owners and animal clients from dangerous dog hearings to custody battles.
“Jeremy’s an anomaly,” says Kara Holmquist, director of advocacy for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. “He’s probably the first person I know to transform his whole legal practice to dealing with animal issues.”

Eight Bulls Escape for Rodeo in North Attleboro

The MSPCA opposes rodeos citing the pain, suffering and torment it says the animals often experience in the course of training for, transportation to, and performance in rodeo events. Kara Holmquist, director for advocacy at the MSPCA, said more people are weighing the entertainment value of rodeos or other events with animals against the risks to public safety and the welfare of the animals. “The people and the animals were lucky to get out of (the mall incident) without any injuries,” said Holmquist, who has watched the video showing the bulls escaping.

Bill Removes Breed Restrictions on Adoption/Foster Families

The legislation approved by the Senate would have the Department of Children and Families look at veterinary records and a pet’s behavioral history instead of judging the dog based off its breed. The MSPCA supports the bill and says current policies “discriminate against those who properly train and socialize their dogs.””Dogs should be judged as the individuals they are – not based on outdated and long-ago-disproven stereotypes,” the organization said. “Families are broken or kept apart due to these types of policies.”

Legislative Update: Informal Session
The formal session of the state legislature ended on July 31, but the State House is still churning out legislation. Two priority pieces of animal protection legislation have moved in this informal session (noted above), which is incredible! We continue to work on:

Declawing ban (passed the Senate but not the House)
Preventing the sale of puppies and kittens under 8 weeks of age (passed the Senate but not the House)
Reducing the use of rodenticides (pending in both chambers)
Email us at advocacy@mspca.org with questions!

(Boston, MA, 08/24/16) MSPCA on Wednesday, August 24, 2016. Staff photo by Matt Stone

Advocate Spotlight: Kara Holmquist Celebrates 30 Years at MSPCA-Angell

In September, Kara Holmquist celebrated her 30th work anniversary with MSPCA-Angell!

Kara started her career with the MSPCA as an Advocacy intern after graduating with a law degree from Suffolk University Law School. In 1994, Kara joined the team as an employee, and since 2003 has served as the Director of Advocacy. During her tenure, Kara has helped to pass some of the most crucial legislation to help protect companion animals, farm animals, and wildlife in Massachusetts. Check out the impressive list here!

Please join us in congratulating Kara on this incredible milestone as well as all of her amazing accomplishments!