An Act to Amend the Laws Regarding Nuisance Dogs
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 0133
Committee: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Sponsors: BENNETT, WADSWORTH
Amends: 7 MRSA §3907, 7 MRSA §3952-A

Legislative Document
No. 133
S.P. 69
In Senate, January 8, 2025
An Act to Amend the Laws Regarding Nuisance Dogs
Reference to the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry suggested and 
ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator BENNETT of Oxford.
Cosponsored by Representative WADSWORTH of Hiram and
Senator: BALDACCI of Penobscot, Representative: WOODSOME of Waterboro.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  7 MRSA §3907, sub-§20-A, as enacted by PL 2017, c. 404, §3, is amended 
to read:
20-A.  Nuisance dog.  "Nuisance dog" means a dog or wolf hybrid that causes bodily 
injury, other than serious bodily injury, to an individual or a domesticated animal who is 
not trespassing on the dog or wolf hybrid owner's or keeper's premises at the time of the 
injury; a dog or wolf hybrid that causes a reasonable and prudent person who is not on the 
dog or wolf hybrid owner's or keeper's premises and is acting in a reasonable and 
nonaggressive manner to fear bodily injury, other than serious bodily injury, by assaulting 
or threatening to assault that individual or individual's domesticated animal; or a dog or 
wolf hybrid that causes damage to property or crops not owned by the dog or wolf hybrid 
owner or keeper while the dog or wolf hybrid is not on the owner's or keeper's premises; or 
a dog or wolf hybrid that disturbs the peace of an individual by excessive barking, howling 
or yelping, and the individual is not trespassing on the dog or wolf hybrid owner's or 
keeper's premises at the time of the excessive barking, howling or yelping.
"Nuisance dog" does not include:
A.  A dog certified by the State and used for law enforcement use;
B.  A dog or wolf hybrid that injures or threatens to assault an individual who is on the 
dog or wolf hybrid owner's or keeper's premises if the dog or wolf hybrid has no prior 
history of assault and was provoked by the individual immediately prior to the injury 
or threatened assault; or
C.  A dog or wolf hybrid that inflicts bodily injury on an individual who is committing 
a crime against an individual or property owned by the dog or wolf hybrid owner or 
keeper.
For the purposes of this definition, "dog or wolf hybrid owner's or keeper's premises" means 
the residence or residences, including buildings and land and motor vehicles, belonging to 
the owner or keeper of the dog or wolf hybrid.
Sec. 2.  7 MRSA §3952-A, sub-§1, as enacted by PL 2017, c. 404, §12, is amended 
to read:
1.  Procedure.  A person who is assaulted or threatened with bodily injury by a dog or 
a person witnessing such an assault or threatened assault against a person or domesticated 
animal or a person with knowledge of such an assault or threatened assault against a minor, 
or a person whose property or crops have been damaged by a dog, within 30 days of the 
incident, may make written complaint to the a sheriff, local law enforcement officer or 
animal control officer that the a dog is a dangerous dog or a nuisance dog within 30 days 
of an incident for any of the following. For the purposes of this chapter, "domesticated 
animal" includes, but is not limited to, livestock as defined in section 3907, subsection 
18‑A.
A.  The person is assaulted or threatened with bodily injury by a dog.
B.  The person witnesses an assault or threatened assault against another person or 
domesticated animal by a dog.
C.  The person has knowledge of an assault or threatened assault against a minor by a 
dog.
D.  The person's property or crops have been damaged by a dog.
E.  The person's peace has been disrupted by a dog that barks, howls or yelps 
excessively.
A representative of the sheriff's department, a local law enforcement officer or an animal 
control officer appointed by the municipality shall investigate and document the complaint. 
Upon completion of the investigation of the complaint, the investigator may issue a civil 
violation summons for keeping a dangerous dog or a nuisance dog.
All records of the outcome of the investigation must be kept by the municipality for the life 
of the dog, plus 2 years.
For the purposes of this chapter, "domesticated animal" includes, but is not limited to, 
livestock as defined in section 3907, subsection 18‑A.
SUMMARY
This bill amends the definition of "nuisance dog" to include a dog or wolf hybrid that 
disturbs the peace of an individual by excessive barking, howling or yelping, and the 
individual is not trespassing on the dog or wolf hybrid owner's or keeper's premises at the 
time of the excessive barking, howling or yelping.  The bill also explicitly authorizes a 
person to file a written complaint to a sheriff, local law enforcement officer or animal 
control officer if the person's peace has been disrupted by a dog that barks, howls or yelps 
excessively.