Pet Advocacy Network Testifies Against Harmful Proposed Legislation in Massachusetts

The Pet Advocacy Network gave testimony in Massachusetts against Senate Bill 1263 and House Bill 1764, which threaten to harm pet businesses. Alisa Clements, Deputy Director of Outreach and Advocacy, provided the testimony to the Joint Committee on Judiciary. 

Senate Bill 1263 would allow plaintiffs to sue for up to $30,000 in damages in cases involving an “unnecessary or unjustified” death of a cat or dog. Clements noted in her testimony to lawmakers that SB 1263’s language is highly subjective, which could “subject veterinarians, groomers, and other animal service providers to excessive claims, and would raise the cost of companion animal care.” The bill would likely increase the cost of veterinary care and reduce affordable services available to pet owners. 

“While we appreciate the intention behind SB 1263, it would set a dangerous precedent which could be used to argue for granting additional rights to pets that are normally reserved for humans,” Clements testified. 

House Bill 1764 would create a state animal abuse registry and require pet stores to screen customers in the registry. Pet store (or animal shelter) employees who fail to check the registry would be subject to imprisonment of up to one year on the first offense, and up to five years imprisonment on subsequent offenses. 

PAN opposes the bill as currently written and asked for the removal of point-of-sale verification. 

“Animal abuser registries can be a valuable tool for law enforcement and the pet care community to identify individuals with a history of animal cruelty and help keep animals safe. However, the way these registries are implemented matters greatly,” testified Clements. “Retail employees and shelter volunteers—many of whom are young and working at their first job or are retirees supplementing their income—are not trained to handle conflicts nor do they carry the authority of being a law enforcement professional. Requiring shelter staff and volunteers to take on this kind of enforcement role exposes them to real and unnecessary risk.”

Read Pet Advocacy Network’s full testimony here.