[HISTORY: Adopted by the Annual Town Meeting of the Town of Groton 5-20-1980 by Art. 42; amended in its entirety 10-3-2020 by Art. No. 22. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
ABANDON
A dog is considered abandoned within the meaning of this chapter when it has been left alone or unattended by the owner for any period greater than 24 hours without the owner providing for its needs.
ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER
An appointed officer authorized to enforce MGL c. 140, §§ 136A to 174F, inclusive.
AT LARGE
Off the premises of the owner and not under the physical control of the owner or keeper.
ATTACK
Aggressive physical contact initiated by an animal.
COMPLAINANT
Any person, including the Animal Control Officer, who makes a complaint regarding an animal committing a violation under this chapter. In the case where the complaint is from other than the Animal Control Officer, it shall be in writing, using the Groton Dog Incident Complaint Form.
COMPLAINT
A formal written report of a dog incident using the Groton Dog Incident Complaint Form.
DANGEROUS DOG
A dog that either: (i) without justification, attacks a person or domestic animal causing physical injury or death; or (ii) behaves in a manner that a reasonable person would believe poses an unjustified imminent threat of physical injury or death to a person or to a domestic or owned animal. No dog shall be deemed to be a dangerous dog if any of the circumstances provided in MGL c. 140, § 157(a) apply.
DOMESTIC ANIMAL
An animal designated as domestic by regulations promulgated by the Department of Fish and Game.
EUTHANIZE
Take the life of an animal by the administration of barbiturates in a manner deemed acceptable by the American Veterinary Medical Association Guidelines on Euthanasia.
HEARING AUTHORITY
The Town Manager or the Chief of Police, or the person charged with the responsibility of handling dog complaints.
KEEPER
A person, business, corporation, entity or society, other than the owner, having possession of a dog.
LICENSE
A valid and current municipal dog license and dog license tag.
NUISANCE DOG
A dog that: (i) by excessive barking or other disturbance, is a source of annoyance to a sick person residing in the vicinity; or (ii) by excessive barking, causing damage or other interference, a reasonable person would find such behavior disruptive to one's quiet and peaceful enjoyment; or (iii) has threatened or attacked livestock, a domestic animal or a person, but such threat or attack was not a grossly disproportionate reaction under all the circumstances.
OWNER
Any person, group of persons or corporation owning, keeping or harboring a dog or dogs. The owner is responsible for a dog's actions at all times.
PHYSICAL CONTROL
Control of a dog with a restraint.
PUBLIC DISTURBANCE
Any dog shall be deemed a public disturbance when such dog is engaged or has engaged in any combination of one or more of the following activities. Each instance of a public disturbance is considered to be a violation. Each day of a violation is determined to be a separate violation.
A. 
Destroying, disturbing or otherwise molesting the property, including refuse, of another while outside the property of its owner, whether under such owner's physical control or not.
B. 
Being upon any public park, playground schoolyard, beach or in any place to which the public has a right of access while not under the physical control of its owner or keeper. The determination of physical control shall be that of the Animal Control Officer.
C. 
Being a dog, which is permitted to run unrestrained at large. The running of hunting dogs, certified service dogs and search and rescue dogs shall not constitute a public disturbance hereunder. The exercising of other dogs which are under the physical control of their owner or keeper shall not constitute a public disturbance hereunder, providing permission of the landowner has been obtained.
D. 
Being upon any public way or in any place to which the public has a right of access, chasing motor vehicles, bicycles or pedestrians.
E. 
Being an unspayed female or unneutered male at large.
F. 
Being over the age of six months and not wearing a suitable collar and current municipal dog license tag issued for it and while not on the property of the owner.
G. 
Being a dog which has been abandoned.
H. 
Being a dog which deposits solid waste not removed, or not properly disposed of, by the dog's owner or agent upon any public park, playground, schoolyard, beach, public or private way sidewalk, in any place to which the public has a right of access or any property other than that of its owner.
RESTRAINT
The control of a dog by physical means, such as a leash, fence or other means of physically confining or restraining a dog.
RESTRAINT ORDER
Order to confine or restrain a dog with conditions determined by the Animal Control Officer.
No owner of any dog shall, while such dog is within the confines of the Town of Groton, allow such dog to be a public disturbance as defined above.
Nothing contained in this bylaw shall prevent the Select Board from passing any orders authorized by law at such times as the Board shall deem it necessary to safeguard the public.
Public Disturbances.
A. 
In all cases it shall be the duty of the duly appointed Animal Control Officer to investigate any violation under § 128-2 of this chapter either witnessed by a police officer or the Animal Control Officer or reported in a written and sworn complaint. The Animal Control Officer shall provide the dog owner and the complainant with a written copy of the complaint and investigation report not more than seven days after the conclusion of the investigation, but in any event, not more than 30 days after receiving the complaint.
B. 
If, after the Animal Control Officer's investigation of an alleged violation under § 128-2 of this chapter, such officer has reason to believe that the described violation did in fact occur as set forth in said written complaint or as witnessed by him/her or a police officer, it shall be the Animal Control Officer's duty to issue the owner, in writing, the appropriate order and/or to impose the appropriate fine designed to prevent a recurrence or continuation of such violation. The period of time during which the order shall be in effect shall be on the order. If the complainant and the owner involved agree with the order so issued, then the matter respecting that particular violation under this chapter shall be considered resolved. If the parties are not in agreement, then recourse can be had to the remedies of each under provisions of law.
C. 
In all cases it shall be the duty of the Animal Control Officer, if, in his/her opinion, appropriate action is necessary to prevent further or continued violations of § 128-2 of this chapter pending a complete investigation, to take the following action:
(1) 
Notify the owner, if known and available, of the alleged violation, and issue a preliminary order, in writing, requiring the owner to take appropriate action, pending a complete investigation.
(2) 
If the owner is not known or, if known, is not immediately available:
(a) 
Take the dog into custody in the most humane manner possible.
(b) 
Confine the dog in a suitable facility.
(c) 
Use every means available to identify and contact the owner.
(d) 
Take such further action as is allowed by law.
D. 
It shall be the responsibility of the owner of any dog impounded under the provisions of Subsection C(2)(b) to reclaim such dog subject to the following criteria: The owner shall pay the Animal Control Officer such sum as is established by the Select Board by regulation for taking the dog into custody and a further sum for room and board as determined by regulations promulgated by the Select Board.
(1) 
The owner of the dog shall also be responsible for costs incurred by the Town or Animal Control Officer for reasonable and customary care of the dog while in the custody of the Animal Control Officer.
(2) 
The owner shall have in his possession a license and related tag for the dog, both of which shall have been issued with respect to the dog. The license tag shall be attached to the dog by a suitable collar before the dog is released from the custody of the Animal Control Officer.
E. 
Disposition of dogs. If an unclaimed dog has been in the custody of the Animal Control Officer for more than seven days, the Animal Control Officer may euthanize the dog only after reasonable efforts to place the dog with a reputable no-kill facility or organization, and in accordance with applicable provisions of Massachusetts law. The owner shall be responsible for any costs incurred in the keeping and disposition of the dog.
[Amended 4-29-2023 ATM by Art. 18]
Nuisance or dangerous dog complaints.
A.
Any person may file a written complaint with the Select Board and Town Manager, or their designee that a dog kept in the Town is a nuisance or a dangerous dog. All such complaints must be signed and include an address and contact information for the complainant.
B.
Hearing authority. The Town Manager is designated by the Select Board as the "Hearing Authority" to oversee the process of responding to all nuisance or dangerous dog complaints. The Town Manager may further designate another Town employee as the Hearing Authority when necessary.
C.
Disposition. The Hearing Authority shall investigate or cause to be investigated the complaint, including an examination under oath of the complaint at a hearing. Based on credible evidence and testimony presented at the hearing, the Hearing Authority shall take the following action:
(1)
Nuisance dog. If the dog is complained of as a nuisance dog, the Hearing Authority shall either:
(a)
Deem the dog a nuisance dog; or
(b)
Dismiss the complaint.
(2)
Dangerous dog. If the dog is complained of as a dangerous dog, the Hearing Authority shall either:
(a)
Deem the dog as a dangerous dog;
(b)
Deem the dog a nuisance dog; or
(c)
Dismiss the complaint.
D.
Report to Town Clerk. The Hearing Authority shall notify the Town Clerk of any complaints filed and shall report any finding that a dog is a nuisance dog or a dangerous dog to the Town Clerk.
E.
Order valid throughout the Commonwealth. Unless later overturned on appeal, any order of the Hearing Authority shall be valid throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
F.
Remedies.
(1)
Nuisance dog. If the Hearing Authority has deemed the dog a nuisance dog, it may order the owner or keeper of the dog to take remedial action to ameliorate the cause of the nuisance behavior.
(2)
Dangerous dog. If the Hearing Authority has deemed the dog a dangerous dog, it may order one or more of the following remedies:
(a)
That the dog be humanely restrained, but no order shall require the dog to be chained or tethered to an inanimate object such as a tree, post or building;
(b)
That the dog be confined to the premises of the owner or keeper, meaning securely confined indoors or confined outdoors in a securely enclosed pen or dog run area that has a secure roof, has either a floor secured to all sides or is embedded into the ground for at least two feet, and provides the dog with proper shelter from the elements.
(c)
When removed from the premises of the owner or keeper, the dog be securely and humanely muzzled and restrained with a tethering device with a maximum length of three feet and a minimum tensile strength of 300 pounds;
(d)
That the owner or keeper provide (i) proof of insurance of at least $100,000 insuring the owner or keeper against any claim, loss, damage, or injury to persons, domestic animals, or property resulting from the intentional or unintentional acts of the dog; or (ii) proof that reasonable efforts were made to obtain such insurance;
(e)
That the owner or keeper provide the Town Clerk, the Animal Control Officer, or other entity as directed with identifying information for the dog including but not limited to photographs, videos, veterinary records, tattooing, microchip implantations or a combination of these;
(f)
That the dog be altered so as not to be reproductively intact, unless the owner or keeper provides evidence of a veterinary opinion that the dog is medically unfit for such alteration; or
(g)
That the dog be humanely euthanized.
G.
Restrictions following dangerousness finding:
(1)
No dog that has been deemed dangerous shall be ordered removed from the Town.
(2)
Issuance of temporary restraint orders. The Animal Control Officer may issue a temporary restraint order to the owner or keeper of any dog that is alleged to be a nuisance dog or a dangerous dog and is awaiting a decision under this chapter. A temporary restraint order shall be in force for no more than 30 days unless the Animal Control Officer renews it in writing for subsequent thirty-day period. The Animal Control Officer may rescind or stop renewing the order when, in the Animal Control Officer's judgment, restraint is no longer required. The Animal Control Officer's order shall expire upon receipt of a decision from the Hearing Authority on the nuisance dog or dangerous dog hearing.
H.
Appeals. The Hearing Authority's decision shall become effective upon filing said decision with the Town Clerk with notice to the owner or keeper. An owner or keeper may further appeal the Hearing Authority's decision to the district court pursuant to MGL c. 140, § 157.
A. 
Pursuant to Chapter 140, § 173, of the Massachusetts General Laws, any person who fails to register, number, describe and license his or her dog annually by January 1 in the Town of Groton, Middlesex County, and pay the fees and charges under rules and regulations pursuant to Chapter 140, § 139 will be required to pay to the Town of Groton a penalty after the last day of February annually, in accordance with a Fee/Fine Schedule established by the Select Board. By virtue of the Town's acceptance of the applicable provision of Section 139 of Chapter 140 of the General Laws, no fee shall be charged for a license for a dog owned by a person aged 70 years or over, unless the dog is identified as a dangerous dog.
B. 
Failure to comply with this section shall constitute a violation of § 128-2 and may subject the owner of any unlicensed dog to financial penalties as are allowed by this chapter or as provided form regulations promulgated by the Select Board.
C. 
All monies received by the Town Clerk's office for the issuance of dog licenses or other fees, fines, charges, and penalties under § 147 of Chapter 140 of the Massachusetts General Laws and this chapter shall be paid into the treasury of the Town.
A. 
Except as otherwise provided by existing statute or in this chapter, any person who violates this chapter shall be subject to the payment of a penalty in the amount of $50 for each violation and for each day of violation, to be recovered for the use of the Town.
B. 
The owner of any dog which is in violation of § 128-2 may be subject to this penalty whether such dog is in the custody of the Animal Control Officer or not. As an alternative to criminal prosecution, the Animal Control Officer and Town police officers, as enforcing persons under this chapter, may enforce this chapter and orders issued hereunder pursuant to the noncriminal disposition statute, MGL c. 40, § 21D and the Town Code, Chapter 1, Article I, § 1-4B(2). When so enforced, the fines shall be as follows:
(1) 
Penalties for public nuisance violations.
(a) 
First violation: $50.
(b) 
Second violation: $75.
(c) 
Third and subsequent violations: $100.
(2) 
Fees for dogs in the custody of the Animal Control Officer.
(a) 
Fee for dog pickup: $25.
(b) 
First calendar day board: $25.
(c) 
Second and subsequent calendar day board: $40.
(3) 
Annual dog licensing fee (between January 1 and February 28).
(a) 
Neutered or spayed dogs: $10.
(b) 
Unaltered dogs: $15.
(c) 
Kennel license.
[1] 
Up to four dogs: $40.
[2] 
Five to nine dogs: $70.
[3] 
Ten or more dogs: $100.
(4) 
Dangerous dog license: $300.