Bill > S2369

This bill amends existing Massachusetts General Laws to enhance protections for animals, particularly dogs, by establishing stricter regulations on outdoor confinement and addressing animal welfare in vehicles. Specifically, it limits the time a dog can be tethered to a stationary object to no more than five hours within a 24-hour period and prohibits outdoor tethering between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., with a brief exception for short, supervised periods. The bill also prohibits leaving a dog outside during weather advisories or when extreme environmental conditions pose a risk to the animal's health, again with a short exception for brief, supervised periods. Furthermore, it introduces new provisions to protect animals left in motor vehicles, allowing authorized personnel like animal control officers, law enforcement, and firefighters to enter vehicles to rescue animals in distress due to extreme heat or cold, and also permits private citizens to intervene under specific conditions, with both authorized personnel and private citizens granted immunity from liability for such rescues. Finally, the bill increases the fines for violations of these animal welfare laws, with penalties escalating for subsequent offenses.