Responsible Animal Owners of Maine

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This site is to help educate the animal owners in Maine to what is happening at the state level pertaining to animal welfare laws.

ALERT: New proposed legislation. Police powers and licenses increases. Increased fines for Mayors,municipal officer,town clerk,or city manager,assistant to the mayor, town or city councilor, dog recorder of unorganized territories, constable, police officer, sheriff or animal control officer.

They can be fined up to $500.00 just for forgetting to file paperwork. Read the proposed legislation here 

Human agents and animal control should not be allowed to have any form of police powers. They have not had the correct legal police training. 

This website is a work in progress. Check Back often for updates on pending laws and how you can help fight to keep our rights to own, breed, and use animals.

For an up to date report on your state check The Monthly National Legislation Report. Here

 

      We advocate for a true animal welfare program NOT an animal rights welfare program.

We in no way condone abuse of animals or humans                                                                        

LD 2171 is now law. So beware when you take your favorite pet on a road trip. Read it here (PDF). 

Note: One representative worked hard to make sure leaving your pet  in a vehicle would not be a crime. Yet it was written in as a crime further down in the bill after the work sessions. Who did this?

While this seems like a good law please take note that

Sec. 47. 17 MRSA §1031, sub-§1, ¶K  is enacted to read:

 K.  Confines an animal in a building, enclosure, CAR, boat, vehicle or vessel of any kind when extreme heat or extreme cold will be harmful to its health. Violation of this paragraph is a Class D crime.
 
 Think about this....Does your dog bark or pant and jump around inside the car when you leave them or when a stranger walks by? Does your pet just get down on the floor and lay quiet? All these actions could be interpreted by an ACO,humane agent or police officer as an animal in distress and used as an excuse to remove your pet.   
 
 

LD2010 Has been turned over to a task force. This act appears to be a law that could be misused  or abused. There is no legal definition of puppymill. So who will decide what a puppymill is? Animal welfare dept? Local ACO? Local police or sheriff? Nosey neighbor?

The bill is in a proposed draft you can read it here.

Find your elected officials Here

You can also contact the sponsors of LD2010  Especially if you are one of their constituents.Let them know of your concerns and that you will be watching this bill closely. They are listed here

Remind them all, that last year LD1615 was gaveled through the senate in the last hours on the last day of the session.  Please don't let this happen again.

 

 


 The information contained on this page is for educational purposes only and RAO-OF-ME and it's owners and affiliates assume no responsibility or liability for the use or misuse of any information and all consequences from that use are the sole responsibility of the user