We are thrilled that Governor Maura Healey signed “Ollie’s Law” into law today! 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. Poor 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.
Under Ollie’s Law, a committee with a variety of stakeholders will provide input on those regulations before they are put into place, and there will be opportunities for the public to do so as well. The law will also make public on the state’s website information when enforcement actions have been taken as a result of injuries to animals or humans.
We are very grateful to the Legislature, particularly sponsors State Representative Brian Ashe and Sen. Montigny, as well as committee chairs Rep. Fiola and Sen. Oliveira, and House and Senate leadership, for advancing this legislation. This is the second bill Governor Healey has signed to protect animals this year, along with a bill to ban traveling animal acts that use certain wild animals, such as elephants and tigers.
