Canine Friends Help Charlie Baker Sign Pet Protection Bill

BOSTON, MA — Flanked by a few furry friends, Gov. Charlie Baker ceremonially signed into law a bill that protects citizens who break into locked cars to free pets, among other new rules.

Baker said his own dog, Lucy, "reminds me every single day why this is so important in the Commonwealth." He said the bill is being enacted on behalf of pets, their owners, and good Samaritans.

Members of the Animal Rescue League, the Humane Society, and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which had lobbied for the bill, were on hand, in addition to several leashed dogs standing behind the governor's desk outside the state Capitol.

Fun setting aside, it isn't just fluff legislation.

According to the Humane Society, even on a 72 degree day, temperatures inside a car can reach 116 degrees within an hour. On an 80 degree day, car temperatures can shoot up to 99 degrees within 10 minutes, and rolling down windows has little effect.

Under the new law, would-be pet rescuers must first check to see whether the doors are locked and make an effort to contact police or call 911. Smashing a car window to help a pet can only be used as a last resort.

However, if it does prove necessary, the new law provides protection for the person breaking in to save the pet, as well as potential penalties for a pet owner who violates the law. Those penalties start at $100, on up to $500 for multiple offenses.

The law also institutes the following regulations:

• Animals can no longer be tethered for more than 5 hours in a 24 hour period.
• They can no longer be left on a leash or other tie outside from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., unless the tethering is for not more than 15 minutes and the dog is not left unattended.
• A dog cannot be left outside when a weather advisory, warning or watch is issued by a local, state or federal authority or when outside environmental conditions including, but not limited to, extreme heat, cold, wind, rain, snow or hail pose an adverse risk to the health or safety of the dog based on the dog's breed, age or physical condition, unless the tethering is for not more than 15 minutes.

Violators could be fined between $200 and $500, depending on the violation.

>> Photo via Gov. Charlie Baker