Lucy’s Law

The objectives of Lucy’s Law:

·      To give dog's a "voice" when they are entrusted to a daycare or boarding facility and are not adequately monitored, neglected, or abused that results in great bodily harm or death by a staff person or another animal in their care. 

·      To develop standardized policies for daycare and boarding facilities in the state of NC: to promote safety, health, and the well-being of an animal entrusted to the care of a facility.

·      To hold the daycare or boarding facility liable with civil penalties for violating the safety and well-being of an animal in their care.

·      To hold the daycare or boarding facility liable if they do not take measures to perform a proper intake, screening and temperament test.

·      To hold owners liable with civil or criminal penalties if they do not provide an adequate or truthful intake history.

Lucy’s Law is in response to an unprovoked vicious attack on a 4 lb Pomeranian on May 3, 2020. Lucy was the beloved fur-baby with two German Shephard siblings that loved her very much, along with her human parent, Linda Stanhope. On May 3rd, Lucy was brought to doggie daycare for a day of fun while her mom worked. Several short hours later, she was killed by a mixed-breed dog weighing 30 lbs. This was the other dog’s first day at doggie daycare. The owner’s adopted this dog on 4-7-2020, not even knowing her for a month. There was no background information on this dog in regards to temperament or nature towards other dogs. The daycare collected her vaccination records and general information on the owner’s; the most critical part of data collection must be the dog's temperament. Her first day was reported to introduce her to the small dog room.

The information supplied was that this new dog was running down the hallway, and Lucy went out to the hall. Here she was viscously shaken to death. Eventually, Lucy was retrieved from the mouth of the other dog. Kennel Staff  stated, "it looked like she had a seizure." Lucy was taken to a vet; however, she was dead on arrival. The vet does not have a record of her injuries or a report to give me since she was not alive when she arrived.  

By holding facilities accountable this will give all dogs a voice in protecting their safety, health and well-being while they cannot be in the presence of their parents (owners). 

Lucy’s Law will be incorporated within N.C.G.S.A.§ 14-360 to 14-369; § 19A-1 - 70; § 114-8.7; § 160A-182, § 14-177; § 153A-127 (January 2020) as follows:

·      A temperament test must be completed.

All dog daycare centers and boarding facilities must have a complete intake performed before allowing a dog in their facility. Standardized policies and language must be consistent with each facility in the state of NC. This includes, but not limited to, the dog's history, aggression, and temperament and how long the owners have had the dog in their possession; if adopted, how long has the owners had the dog to include their knowledge and history before adoption. If adopted, the owners must consent to a background check of the dog conducted with the adopting agency. All dog daycare centers and boarding facilities must have a trained and licensed staff on record that conducts the temperament training before releasing a dog off the lead and allowing the dog to co-mingle amongst other dogs.

·      All facilities are required to have cameras in all areas that dogs may occupy. This includes all daycare rooms, boarding rooms, kennel runs, and the outside regions. If any camera is not in working order, the owners must be notified immediately.

·      Any veterinarians licensed in NC and receiving a dog under emergency conditions, or dead on arrival due to an attack is required to provide a detailed report of how the death occurred. This includes performing any tests needed to determine the nature of death. This report will be furnished to the owners and anyone the owner authorizes or has a legal involvement to include but not limited to investigators, attorneys, and law enforcement.

·      Civil penalties will be imposed for violations.