Baltimore County Council passes protections for animals in wake of hoarding case

The Baltimore County Council unanimously passed legislation Monday night to protect animals from abuse and protect humans from dangerous dogs, increasing oversight and penalties for violations.

The push for reform came in the wake of a hoarding case still unfolding in court; a Halethorpe woman faces nearly 500 counts of animal cruelty stemming from the condition of dozens of dogs, birds and reptiles she was keeping.

Animal control officers raided her small home a year ago and seized 82 animals, but an unusual plea deal allowed Kimberly Klein to have a role in rehoming them. Instead of finding new owners, Klein’s son brought many of the animals back to the house, resulting in another raid.

That time, animal control officers seized 42 animals — including more than a dozen dogs, several large birds and reptiles, and two cats.

Klein was scheduled to have a probation violation hearing Tuesday, but the judge postponed it over the objections of prosecutors.

The new regulations do not specifically address the Klein case but are “designed to make all of our animal laws work better,” said René Varela, director of Baltimore County Animal Services. The first bill, 29-26, specifies situations that constitute abuse, including tethering animals in unsafe conditions, not providing adequate food or water, not providing enough space, and not keeping cages and roaming areas clean.

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The bill also includes a provision to designate a pet owner who abuses animals as “reckless,” making it illegal for them to have a pet for at least four years.

Bill 30-26 gives the Animal Hearing Board more teeth. Members of the board have long complained they lack the authority to protect animals in danger. The new law allows animal control officers to seize a pet that county health officials have recommended be surrendered and to hold the animal at the county shelter instead of placing it in foster care. Owners will have 10 days to appeal a decision to seize a pet, and the Board of Appeals must hear the case in 14 days and issue a decision within 10 days of the hearing.

Bill 31-26 introduces a standard bite scale for evaluating the severity of dog bites. It introduces a third designation of problematic animal: the “potentially dangerous animal.” That is a change from the current law, which designates animals as “menacing” or “dangerous.” The difference between those can be subjective.

Owners of “menacing” animals will pay a $250 fine. Owners of “dangerous” animals must comply with county requirements, including confinement, neutering and microchipping the animal. That fine is $1,000.

The Klein case, which The Banner brought to light, fast-tracked the legislation, but the Baltimore County Council has been hearing about deficiencies in animal protections for more than a decade.

“There are few issues in today’s society that command such support as animal welfare, and it shows in this legislation,” said David Marks, a Republican who recalled many sessions with animal advocates begging for better protections.

Some of those pleas led to Oscar’s Law, an April 2018 bill that protects pets from being left outside too long in temperatures above 90 degrees or below 32 degrees. The bill was named for a dog named Oscar, who died in December 2017 of hypothermia after being left outside in the snow. Neighbors had repeatedly called authorities about Oscar’s condition before his death.

Advocates also lobbied for, and eventually got, a new animal shelter. The previous one was in such poor condition that when Councilman Wade Kach stopped by for a visit in 2015, the officials would not let him in.

“If anything tipped me off, that did,” he said of the problems.

Councilman Julian Jones thanked the animal community for their persistence.

“It was the advocates who came to see us religiously,” he said. “Every work session, they were here.”

One of those advocates was Lisa Radov, president and chair of Maryland Votes for Animals. Radov said the Klein case accelerated solutions to long-simmering problems.

“It exposed clear, glaring gaps that needed to be closed,” she said. “I think of last night’s package as a floor, not a ceiling. It is a really good starting place. It’s a huge win for the county.”