Home
Journal
Ollie's Law regulation tracker: where the rules stand, updated as they move

Regulation tracker

Ollie's Law regulation tracker: where the rules stand, updated as they move

This is a dated log rather than an explainer: each entry is a milestone and the date it happened. Our longer page on what the law means for owners lives in the Cape Ann dogs section.

Book a free evaluation See pricing

Last reviewed October 9, 2026 · by the Dogtown team

Where it stands

The law is in force, but the detailed regulations are not yet published

Chapter 213 of the Acts of 2024 has been law since December 19, 2024, and parts of it already apply to every Massachusetts daycare and boarding kennel. The detailed operating rules, which may cover staff-to-animal ratios, group sizes and supervision, fire and emergency planning, housing and staff training, are what the Department of Agricultural Resources is still writing.

The statute set the deadline at 18 months after the effective date, and MDAR's own timeline put it as June 2026. At the March 18, 2026 advisory committee meeting the draft had not been released. Check MDAR's Ollie's Law page for anything newer than this update.

In force since December 19, 2024
Regulations due within 18 months; MDAR listed June 2026
Not released as of the March 18, 2026 meeting
No draft or hearing notice seen by October 9, 2026

The log

Dated milestones from 2024 to the committee's sunset, oldest first

The law is named for Ollie, a seven-month-old labradoodle who was badly injured by other dogs at a boarding facility in East Longmeadow in 2020 and died after two months in a veterinary hospital. The entries below come from MDAR's Ollie's Law information page and the statute.

Read the log with one caution: a date on MDAR's timeline is a deadline, not an event. June 2026 was the listed date for completed regulations, and until MDAR publishes a draft, a hearing notice or a final rule, nothing new takes effect for owners or facilities, so it has no entry.

01
September 20, 2024: Governor Healey signs An Act to Increase Kennel Safety
02
December 19, 2024: the law takes effect
03
March 19, 2025: MDAR's advisory committee is formed
04
June 1, 2025: towns send MDAR their kennel lists; 237 complied, reporting 1,370 licensed kennels
05
July 1, 2025: MDAR's report to the Legislature, dated June 27, 2025, is delivered
06
March 18, 2026: advisory committee meets; draft regulations not yet released
07
December 31, 2026: the advisory committee sunsets

What applies now

Two parts of the law already apply: license records and injury reporting

License records come first. A commercial boarding or training kennel must keep a record of the municipal license for every dog in its care, and MDAR's guidance says there is no grace period for an expired one. It sits alongside Dogtown's own requirement of a current city license, checked at the free evaluation with Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella records.

Injury reporting is the second. Kennels must report injuries to animals or people on their premises to the local licensing authority, which investigates, and MDAR publishes a reporting form for it. The MSPCA notes that enforcement actions after those investigations will be posted on the state's website. Grooming-only businesses fall outside the kennel definition; daycare, overnight stays and training fall inside it.

At Dogtown

Until the rules are final, we describe how we run rather than claim compliance

No facility can comply with regulations that do not exist yet, so this page will not say Dogtown does. What we can state is how the building on Eastern Ave in Gloucester runs today: playgroups of 7 to 10 dogs matched by size and temperament, certified staff, a free evaluation before any dog joins a group, and 24/7 monitoring for overnight guests. Our policies page collects the rest.

When MDAR publishes a draft, announces a hearing or finalizes the rules, the date and the link go into the log above, with a note on what changes for Dogtown families. MDAR's Ollie's Law page and the MSPCA's summary are the two to follow if you would rather read the sources yourself.

Groups of 7 to 10, matched at the evaluation
Certified staff
24/7 monitoring overnight

At Dogtown

The services the law covers

Daycare and overnight stays both sit inside the state's kennel definition.

Husky standing on the turf play yard at Dogtown, looking at the camera

Dog DaycareFrom $33 · Explore

Golden retriever resting on a cozy bed in a Dogtown boarding suite

Overnight StaysFrom $78 · Explore

Every price on one page

Asked and answered

Questions people ask about this

Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.

Are the Ollie's Law regulations final?

Not as of this update. The law took effect on December 19, 2024 and gave MDAR 18 months to write regulations, listed on its timeline as June 2026. The draft had not been released at the March 18, 2026 advisory committee meeting, and we had seen no draft or hearing notice by October 9, 2026.

Does Ollie's Law cover dog daycare or only boarding?

Both. The law's definition of a commercial boarding or training kennel includes day care, overnight stays and training of dogs that belong to someone else, done for payment while the owner is away. A business that only grooms is excluded. Dogtown's daycare, overnight stays and training all sit inside the definition.

What will the Ollie's Law regulations cover?

The statute lists topics the rules may cover, including staff-to-animal ratios, group sizes and supervision, fire and emergency planning, injury reporting, housing and facility standards, staff training and consumer protection. The actual numbers will be set in the regulations themselves, so no ratio or group-size figure is official yet.

Where can I check the status myself?

MDAR's Ollie's Law information page carries the official timeline, the advisory committee minutes and the kennel injury reporting form, and the MSPCA keeps a plain-language summary. MDAR's page is the official record; this log is a snapshot at the date above.