Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
A rewrite of the state’s animal control law, signed by Gov. Deval Patrick in early August, requires cities and towns to examine local bylaws, ordinances and practices related to dogs and other domestic animals and make any changes needed to be consistent with the new law.
Chapter 193 of the Acts of 2012 is the culmination of a long campaign by private and public groups interested in reforming and modernizing animal control and protection laws that they argued were increasingly obsolete. The coalition included the Animal Control Officers’ Association of Massachusetts (www.acoam.com), the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and other groups.
The new statute, approved by the Legislature at the end of formal legislative sessions in July and scheduled to take effect on Oct. 31, changes some long-standing definitions and adds new ones. “Dog officers” are now “animal control officers,” and there are specific definitions for nuisance dogs, dangerous dogs and different types of kennels.
The law creates a new statewide framework for regulating dangerous and nuisance dogs that preempts any such local regulations. Chapter 193 defines dangerous dogs based on specific behaviors, such as an unjustified attack or threat of attack on a person or domestic animal. The law prohibits local bylaws that are based on the breed of an animal.
Cities and towns are authorized to adopt local bylaws and ordinances relative to the licensing and control of animals, but only if they are consistent with the new state law.
Chapter 193 creates a process for dealing with citizen complaints about dogs, with specific standards of what constitutes “nuisance” or “dangerous” behaviors, as well as steps the local hearing authority must take to adjudicate complaints, including an opportunity for appeals by the dog owner.
For dogs deemed to be a nuisance, the local authority may order remedial action. For dogs deemed to be dangerous, the local authority is required to order one or more of seven actions, ranging from limited restraint to humane euthanization, a term that is described in the law.
The law bans a local authority from “banishing” any dog from the city or town.
Every animal control officer will be required to complete a training course, to be paid for with revenue from a new state income tax “check off” dedicated to the Homeless Animal Prevention and Care Fund.
For the text of the legislation, visit www.malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2012/Chapter193.