|
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1614 FILED ON: 1/17/2013 HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1876
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts _________________ PRESENTED BY: Todd M. Smola _______________ To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the passage of the accompanying: An act relative to standardizing rabies vaccination certificates. _______________ PETITION OF:
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1614 FILED ON: 1/17/2013 HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1876
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
An act relative to standardizing rabies vaccination certificates. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows: SECTION 1. Section 145B of chapter 140 of the general laws, as appearing in the 2008 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the first paragraph and inserting in place thereof the following paragraph:- Whoever is the owner or keeper of a dog or cat in the commonwealth six months of age or older shall cause such dog or cat to be vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian using a licensed vaccine according to the manufacturer's directions, and shall cause such dog or cat to be revaccinated at intervals recommended by the manufacturer. Unvaccinated dogs and cats acquired or moved into the commonwealth shall be vaccinated within 90 days after the acquisition or arrival into the commonwealth or upon reaching the age of 6 months, whichever last occurs. It shall be the duty of each veterinarian, at the time of vaccinating any dog or cat, to complete a certificate of rabies vaccination which shall include, but not be limited to the following information: the owner's name and address; a description of the animal, including breed, sex, date of birth, name and distinctive markings; the date of vaccination; the rabies vaccination tag number; the type of rabies vaccine used; the route of vaccination; the expiration date of the vaccine; and the vaccine lot number. Distribution of copies of the certificate shall be: the original to the owner, 1 copy retained by the issuing veterinarian and, within 14 days of the vaccination, 1 copy to the town or city clerk where the dog or cat is kept. All rabies certificates shall be in the following form and shall be printed in at least 12 point type on 8 ½ by 11 inches sheets of non-carbon issued paper:
CERTIFICATE OF RABIES VACCINATION NAME OF PROVIDER/CLINIC NAME_________________________________ ADDRESS_________________________________________________________ TELEPHONE NUMBER______________________________________________ FAX NUMBER______________________________________________________
Name of owner: ______________________________________________ Residence of Owner: ______________________________________________ Street/Road _____________________________________________ City/Town ______________________________________________ MA Mailing address if different from residence: ________________________ ______________________________________________________________
Telephone number________________________________ 2nd contact number (optional) _______________________________
Name of Dog or Cat __________________________________ Breed ________________________________________ Sex: Male _______ Female _______ Neutered _______ Spayed ___________ Date of Neutering/Spaying (if known) ________________________ Color: _______________________________________ Date of Birth (not age of animal) ________________________________ Date of Vaccination ____________________ Date of Expiration _________________ Vaccine is One Year ________ Three Year __________ Rabies Tag # ______________ Provider Signature: _______________________________________________ If dog is not able to receive a Rabies Vaccination due to age, illness or other reason please specify here to insure owner may procure the mandated license:
Per Massachusetts General Law Chapter 140 Section 137, all dogs must be licensed at six (6) months of age. (This statement must be in bold print).
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect on January 1, 2012. |