Thank you to those who contacted your state representative in support of working dogs last week! Every year the legislature sends an annual budget to the Governor to fund government operations, and funding for training service dogs was adopted in the House.
Now, as the Massachusetts Senate has begun debating their fiscal priorities in SB 4, its version of the budget bill, Senator Bruce Tarr has filed the text from “Nero’s Bill” as an amendment to SB 4:
Amendment #331 “Nero’s Bill” would allow emergency care and transportation for a police dog injured in the line of duty. The bill is named for “Nero”, the K9 partner of fallen Yarmouth Police Sergeant Sean Gannon who was shot and killed in the line of duty in April 2018. Nero was also shot, but current state law prevented EMTs from treating or transporting him.
The amendment is also supported for consideration by Senators Feeney and Gobi.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Massachusetts residents are encouraged to immediately contact their member of the Massachusetts Senate to express support for Amendment #331, “Nero’s Bill”. Find your state senator’s contact information by searching with your address here. Please tell your Senator the following:
- An estimated 200 police K-9s work in the state of Massachusetts.
- Police K-9s are specially trained and certified to serve multiple purposes from search and rescue to explosive detection.
- Supporting Amendment #331 would ensure emergency treatment and transportation when these exceptional dogs are injured in the line of duty.
AKC Government Relations (AKC GR) will continue to provide updates on this important matter. For more information on these or other legislative issues in Massachusetts, contact AKC GR at 919-816-3720 or doglaw@akc.org; or the Massachusetts Federation of Dog Clubs and Responsible Dog Owners at info@massfeddogs.org.