On August 19, 2016, Governor Baker signed into law An Act Preventing Animal Suffering and Death. This law will become effective in November 2016. This law restricts tethering an animal for certain periods of time or if there are weather concerns. This law also allows first responders and citizens to enter a vehicle to save an animal from a dangerous or life threatening situation.
Tethering Restrictions: No animal may be tethered (tied to) a stationary object for more than 5 hours within in a 24 hour period. This includes dog houses, poles or trees. Also, no animal may be tethered outside from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM unless the tethering is 15 minutes or less and the animal is not left alone.
Weather Restrictions: No animal can be left outside when there is a weather advisory, warning or watch in effect. This also includes weather that may pose a risk to the health or safety of the animal such as extreme heat or cold, wind, rain or hail.
The exception to the above restrictions is if you and your animal are at a camping or recreational area or actively engaged in shepherding or herding in a commercial capacity.
Confinement within a Motor Vehicle: No animal shall be confined in a motor vehicle in a manner that could reasonably be expected to threaten the health of the animal due to exposure to extreme heat or cold.
Any Animal Control Officer, Law Enforcement Officer or Fire Fighter may enter a car, whether it is locked or not, to gain access to any animal that appears to be in distress.
Any Citizen may enter a vehicle, locked or not, if the citizen cannot locate the owner of the vehicle and:
- He or she has called 911 or the local police department where the vehicle is located;
- The vehicle is locked or there are no other reasonable means for exit and the person uses no more force then that necessary to enter the vehicle and remove the animal;
- There is good faith and reasonable belief, based on what the citizen knows at that time, that the enter was reasonably necessary to prevent imminent danger or harm to the animal; and
- They must remain with the animal in a safe location near the vehicle until a police officer or animal control officer arrives.