Governor Larry Hogan to be Honored at Baltimore Humane Society as Animal Welfare Hero

April 3, 2018-Reisterstown, MD — Governor Larry Hogan will be awarded Animal Welfare Hero by the Baltimore Humane Society on April 3^rd for his strong support of animal welfare legislation in the state of Maryland.  In the past year, he signed four anti-animal cruelty bills into law that pumped up financial support for shelters and breeding oversight.  Animal abusers and breeders are now being held to much stricter standards and scrutiny, and licensing requirements for commercial dog breeding are expected to help crack down on puppy mills in Maryland.

Under the four news laws:

• Dog breeder limits are lowered from 15 females to 6.

• A fund is established to reimburse shelters for the cost of caring for animals seized in cruelty cases.

• Some shelters will be subject to inspection and have higher care standards. State law now only permits sales of dogs from breeders with a good track record of USDA inspections.

• Veterinarians are now required to report suspected abuse, something that until now was only optional. H.B. 1463, which requires veterinarians to report animal cruelty in the same way that doctors or teachers are required to report child abuse, was passed. Animal cruelty was already a felony, but now veterinarians will be obligated by law to report any suspected cases from dog fighting to hoarding and neglect. Maryland becomes the 13th state to require that veterinarians report animal cruelty.

“It is encouraging to know that our state’s leader is alongside us fighting the good fight for our region’s voiceless pets,” says Christine DeCorse, Baltimore Humane Society Executive Director.

The award will be presented at 11am on the grounds at Baltimore Humane Society.