Advocacy Updates

October 2022

 Urgent Action Needed: Rodenticides

If you saw our latest alert, you heard about Lucy and her close call with rodenticides. H. 4931 regulates and reduces rodenticide use in Massachusetts to stop incidents like this from happening.

Though the legislature is now informal session, H. 4931 has an opportunity to pass the Senate with constituent support. Your state senator needs to hear from you on why H. 4931 is important to you and your community. Please ask your state senator to contact Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues and ask that he move H. 4931 to the Senate floor for a vote.

Attleboro and Cambridge Take Action

Attleboro pet stores are no longer allowed to sell cats, dogs, rabbits, and guinea pigs in their shops after Mayor Paul Heroux signed the new Humane Pet Shop ordinance last week. Eleven cities and towns in Massachusetts now have some version of such a ban in place, which is outstanding; but, Attleboro’s goes above and beyond by including guinea pigs in this ordinance, helping with a major problem we’re seeing in animal welfare, which is an overwhelming number of small pet surrenders.

Cambridge is now the fifth Massachusetts community to ban the sale of fur within its borders. The ordinance forbids the sale of new fur products in the city, including articles of clothing, accessories, and home decor. Similar bans exist in Wellesley, Weston, Brookline, and Plymouth. It’s important that cities and towns take steps, like Cambridge, has to ban fur and push stores to sell cruelty-free alternatives that don’t rely on the inhumane confinement and cruel killing of animals.

If you are interested in passing a local ordinance in your city or town, email us at advocacy@mspca.org. Learn more about passing local legislation.

We are excited to announce we are expanding our Advocacy Team and looking for volunteers to help protect animals through public policy across the state. Bethany DeZolt, the new Advocacy and Community Engagement Coordinator, is embarking on a revamp of our Animal Action Team and recruiting volunteers for positions as Community Advocacy Leaders. If you are interested in learning more about this program, please email Bethany at bdezolt@mspca.org.

Wildlife Corner

Blue Hills Deer Hunt Update

For the eighth year in a row, a deer hunt will be held this November in the Blue Hills Reservation. Prior to 2015, hunting had not occurred in the Blue Hills for more than a century. The hunt, supposedly held to reduce the deer population and improve the health of the forest, continues to face strong public opposition given in its fairly urban environment and validity of the hunt’s premise—deer numbers remain virtually unchanged. The MSPCA instead supports a scientific, informed approach to understanding forest health and animal density. We continue to monitor the hunt and work with citizens and state officials to bring it to an end. Read more.

Beaver and Bear Support in W. Mass

Through our grant program, funded by the Nion Robert Thieriot foundation, we were able to fund over $25,000 this year to homeowners, businesses, and municipalities in Western Massachusetts who needed assistance living humanely with bears and beavers.

Learn more about our beaver flow device and bear-proof trash receptacle grant programs.

This Halloween, pet owners should ensure that their four-legged family members are kept inside, safe, and happy. Check out our Halloween safety tips and other ways to keep your pet safe this season.

Advocacy at Home and On the Move

Advocacy Honored at MSPCA-Angell

Last week, the MSPCA-Angell hosted employees at its annual Great Saves event, recognizing important victories or “great saves” of animals that staff accomplished over the last year. Staff Attorney Lynsey Legier shared the important work she did — in collaboration with other Animal Protection Departments — to obtain custody through the court of 129 goats, an Emu, and a Mustang horse seized by Law Enforcement in an animal cruelty case. Using a statute we passed in 2002, these animals have been, or are now ready to be, rehomed. Thank you Lynsey!

 Traveling to the Berkshires

We continue to hear about human-wildlife conflicts, particularly with coyotes, bears, and turkeys. Recognizing the need for more public education on this front, we continue to expand our Living with Wildlife work, generously supported in part by the Thieriot Foundation. Throughout November, we will be offering a series of talks throughout the Berkshires on how to coexist humanely with wildlife. The presentations kick off in Monterey on November 12, with additional talks to follow in central and northern Berkshire County and remotely. Learn more about our wildlife conflict resolution work.

Newsworthy Happenings

Attleboro Bans Sale of Some Animals in Pet Shops

We were thrilled to support the Humane Pet Shop Ordinance, which ends the sale of dogs, cats. guinea pigs, and rabbits in stores. “Ordinances like the one passed in Attleboro help reduce the number of homeless animals and end the animal mill-to-pet-store-pipeline.” Kara Holmquist, MSPCA

Advocacy Career Spotlight

Our Advocacy Team was featured in the HumanePro Career spotlight “Public policy advocate: Public policy professionals lobby for the legal protections that animals deserve.” If you are interested in learning about this career choice, please check it out. We are honored to be highlighted in this national article!

Survey: Input Sought for Next Session

The 2023-24 legislative session kicks off in January. We’re busy planning which bills will be filed and seeking your input!

Please fill out this short survey to let us know what issues are important to you and what legislation you think should be prioritized in the Massachusetts legislature. Fill out the survey.