For his support of animal welfare legislation, Gov. Larry Hogan was presented the Animal Welfare Hero Award by the Baltimore Humane Society on April 3. The award was presented at the Reisterstown headquarters of the BHS, an independent, no-kill, nonprofit animal shelter founded in 1927.
Over the past year, Hogan signed four anti-animal cruelty bills into law that strengthened financial support for shelters and breeding oversight. As a result, breeders and animal abusers will be held to stricter standards and scrutiny, and licensing requirements for commercial dog breeding are expected to help crack down on puppy mills throughout the state.
“It is encouraging to know that our state’s leader is alongside us fighting the good fight for our region’s voiceless pets,” said BHS Executive Director Christine DeCorse.
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Under the laws — which go into effect Oct. 1 — dog breeder limits are lowered from 15 females to 6; a fund will be established to reimburse shelters for costs of caring for animals seized in cruelty cases; and some shelters will be subject to inspections and have higher care standards.
In addition, veterinarians will now be required to report suspected abuse, something that was previously only optional. Maryland will become the 13th state to require that veterinarians report animal cruelty cases.
Hogan received a tour of the shelter and surprised the organization’s leadership and volunteers with an official citation for the BHS.
“Today, I was excited to visit some furry friends at the Baltimore Humane Society in Reisterstown!” the governor said in a statement. “I had the opportunity to tour the adoption center and recently refurbished surgical center and present an official governor’s citation to recognize the Society’s 90th anniversary. I was also humbled to receive the 2018 Animal Welfare Hero Award. …
“Anyone who has ever had a pet knows that they have a way of finding people who need them and filling an emptiness we didn’t ever know we had,” Hogan said. “I want to thank the entire team at the Baltimore Humane Society for the important work that they do and congratulate them on nine decades of service to our community.”
For information about the BHS, visit www.bmorehumane.org or call 410-833-8848.
Photos courtesy of the Baltimore Humane Society
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