MD House Delegate Hopes To Save Animals From Euthanasia

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Glen Burnie native Mark Chang, a Maryland House Delegate, intends to make a difference in the lives of shelter animals. Chang represents Anne Arundel County, home to the SPCA of Anne Arundel County and Anne Arundel County Animal Care & Control, and intends to push through a bill to reduce the number of shelter animals euthanized.

Chang has been a member of the House of Delegates since January 2015. He created House Bill 57 and intends to place Maryland at the top of states with a high animal shelter save rate of 90 percent. The bill would require shelters to make and attempt to identify an animal by checking for license tags or microchips within 24 hours of housing the animal. They also would have to prominently display and communicate their hours and the process owners would have to go through to reclaim their pets who end up there.

Chang told Fox 5 that if more strays are reunited with owners, there would be a lower rate of euthanasia. Furthermore, shelters that are close to full would check around with other facilities to see who has room for any additional animals brought in to them and to place more animals in foster care.