The new anti-cruelty law is an amendment to HB 2525, enacted last October, that established space and facility requirements for cages, exercise and mandatory semi-annual veterinary examinations for dogs housed in commercial breeding kennels. It also outlawed the euthanization of dogs by anyone other than a veterinarian.

The law and the new amendment were sponsored by State Rep. Thomas Caltagirone in response to a publicized case of two brothers who killed 80 dogs at their breeding facility instead of making improvements ordered by a state health inspector.