Session Laws

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. The first paragraph of section 151A of chapter 140 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 1984 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the first sentence and inserting in place thereof the following sentence:- In the several cities and towns of the several counties, except Suffolk county, the mayor or board of selectmen shall annually within ten days after June first issue a warrant to such dog officer or officers directing him or them to seek out, catch and confine all dogs within the city or town which then have not been licensed, collared or harnessed, and tagged, as required by this chapter, and to enter and prosecute a complaint for failure to comply with the provisions of this chapter against the owners or keepers thereof, if known, and to kill or cause to be killed by methods of execution other than gunshot except in case of emergency, T-61, so-called, an euthanasia solution not under the control of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, unless by a veterinarian, succinylcholine cholide, any drugs that have curariform-like action, electrocution or any other method which causes an unnecessarily cruel death each such dog which after being detained by or for him for a period of ten days shall not then have been licensed, collared or harnessed, and tagged; provided, that at the end of ten days such dog officer may make available for adoption any male or any spayed female dog not found to be diseased, for a sum not less than three dollars and shall keep an account of all moneys received by him for such adoption and shall forthwith pay over such sums to the town treasurer who shall forward all such money to the county treasurer in the same manner as dog license money as provided in section one hundred and forty-seven.

SECTION 2. The fourth paragraph of said section 151A of said chapter 140, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the first sentence and inserting in place thereof the following sentence:- In the cities and towns of Suffolk county, the mayor or board of selectmen shall annually within seven days after June first issue a warrant to such dog officer or officers directing him to seek out, catch and confine all dogs within the city or town which then have not been licensed, collared or harnessed, and tagged, as required by this chapter, and to enter and prosecute a complaint for failure to comply with the provisions of this chapter against the owners or keepers thereof, if known, and to kill or cause to be killed by methods of execution other than gunshot except in case of emergency, T-61, so-called, an euthanasia solution not under the control of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, unless by a veterinarian, succinylcholine cholide, any drugs that have curariform-like action, electrocution or any other method which causes an unnecessarily cruel death each such dog which after being detained by or for him for a period of seven days shall not then have been licensed, collared or harnessed, and tagged; provided, that at the end of seven days such dog officer may make available for adoption any male or any spayed female dog not found to be diseased, for a sum not less than three dollars and shall keep an account of all moneys received by him for such adoption and shall forthwith pay over such sums to the town treasurer who shall forward all such money to the county treasurer in the same manner as dog license money as provided in section one hundred and forty-seven.

SECTION 3. The first paragraph of section 153 of said chapter 140, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 15 and 16, the words "under the supervision of a veterinarian, electrocution, succinylcholine cholide and inserting in place thereof the words:- by a veterinarian, succinylcholine cholide, any drugs that have a curariform-like action, electrocution.

SECTION 4. Said first paragraph of said section 153 of said chapter 140, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in lines 58 and 59, the words "under the supervision of a veterinarian, electrocution, succinylcholine cholide" and inserting in place thereof the words:- by a veterinarian, succinylcholine cholide, any drugs that have a curariform-like action, electrocution.