Helping Animals With Local Ordinances

It’s a busy time of year in our office. We’ve been holding workshops on helping animals through the legislative process and are preparing for Lobby Day for Animals on April 14th. Since we're at the beginning of a new legislative session in the Mass. state legislature, we’ve been speaking to many groups and our Animal Action Team about the legislative process and providing tips on how to help animals through public policy efforts and also how to best influence elected officials. Much of the content of the presentation is based on lessons learned -- one way or another -- over the years.

When doing our workshops, we mention the option for advocates to work on a local level – in their own cities in towns – to change policies that impact animals. While most of the legislation that the MSPCA focuses on is at the state level, citizens can choose to pursue local action in their communities (there are 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth). The MSPCA Advocacy Department can help by writing letters of support, alerting MSPCA members in the city or town, and sometimes testifying. An ordinance that passed a few nights ago in Pittsfield to protect farm animals has once again demonstrated how local action can work. The new ordinance requires that egg-laying hens, breeeding pigs, and calves raised for veal have enough space to stand up, lie down, turn around, and extend their limbs.

We have analogized taking action at the local level for animals to the process by which the state’s smoking ban in bars, resturants and worksplaces passed in 2004. Prior to the state law, more and more cities and towns passed local smoking bans, which seems to have help make the case for a statewide ban more powerful. We can do the same thing with animal issues. And each time a city or town passes an animal protection measure, more and more people and citizens are understanding the issue – and this includes the legislators representing those municpalities. In fact, advocates are asking the Berkshire legislative delegation to now support a similar state bill, based on Pittsfield's action.

So, what issues have been tackled on a local level? In addition to the above-mentioned farm animal confinement bill (the first of its kind to pass at a local level in the nation), there are others. In Massachusetts, five municipalities have local ordinances that ban the use of wild animals in circuses (Braintree, Revere, Quincy, Provincetown and Weymouth). Somerville residents are currently working to pass one within their borders. At least one town has a law that limits the constant tethering of dogs (East Longmeadow). Years ago, Cambridge enacted an ordinance that governs animals in laboratories and more recently passed a resolution on cage-free eggs. Generally, local laws can be more specific or restrictive than state laws.

One woman I spoke to recently to is working to put a line on dog license applications in her town that would ask people for a voluntary donation to help spay/neuter the animals of residents who can't afford the surgery. Animal advocates have worked consistently to ensure dangerous dogs law aren't breed-specific. And perhaps one of the most important ways to advocate on a local level is to make sure that animal control has adequate funding to help stray and homeless animals.

There may be other things happening for animals in your local city or town hall. Perhaps you have other ideas of what can be done on a local level? If so, drop us a line at advocacy@mspca.org. We'll post some of the ideas here.

Another News Story Shows Link Between Animal Abuse and Human Violence

The recent story in the Boston Herald, reporting that a kitten, named Tigi, was killed by a husband who was jealous of his wife's attachment to the animal is yet another incident demonstrating the relationship between animal abuse and violence toward humans. The wife filed a restraining order alleging that the husband had also been violent to her.

A few years ago, the MSPCA and Northeastern University published a study showing that people who abuse animals are five times more likely to commit violent crimes. Studies have found that victims of domestic violence will delay or not leave a violent situation because of concerns about what will happen to the family pet. Abusers can use threats to family pets as a means to control and exert power over the victim. Oprah Magazine covered this issue and in an article called "The Case of the Battered Pet."

Now that this link is recognized and documented, there are strategies and programs that have been put in place in many communities to address this cycle of violence. These include animal protection organizations working with human social service programs, municipal and state law enforcement officers working with humane law enforcement, programs to provide temporary foster care for pets of people who are leaving violent situations, and legislation. Both HAVEN and the Link Up Education Network in Massachusetts pursue many of these efforts.

One of the MSPCA's priority bills for the recently commenced 2009-2010 legislative session is a bill, filed by Representative Peter Koutoujian (D-Waltham), that would allow pets to be included in temporary restraining orders issues in domestic violence cases. Similar laws have been passed in a dozen states so far, and many states have bills pending. For more information visit the MSPCA's website.

Contacting your state legislators and urging support of this bill (House Docket # 1553) is a simple step that everyone can take to help both animals and people.