MSPCA-Angell Headquarters

350 South Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02130
(617) 522-7400
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Angell Animal Medical Centers – Boston

350 South Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02130
(617) 522-7282
angellquestions@angell.org
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Angell West

293 Second Avenue, Waltham, MA 02451
(781) 902-8400
For on-site assistance (check-ins and pick-ups):
(339) 970-0790
angellquestions@angell.org
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Angell at Essex

565 Maple Street, Danvers, MA 01923
(978) 304-4648
essex@angell.org
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Animal Care and Adoption Centers – Boston

350 South Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02130
(617) 522-5055
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Animal Care and Adoption Centers – Cape Cod

1577 Falmouth Road, Centerville, MA 02632
(508) 775-0940
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Animal Care and Adoption Centers – Nevins Farm

400 Broadway, Methuen, MA 01844
(978) 687-7453
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Animal Care and Adoption Centers – Northeast Animal Shelter

347 Highland Ave., Salem, MA 01970
(978) 745-9888
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Legislative Successes 1983-2007

2007 – Internet Hunting Banned
An Act Prohibiting Internet Hunting
 passed in response to the development of a click and shoot mechanism that operates like a computer-assisted internet hunting game but kills real animals. The passage of the law made it illegal to create, maintain, or engage in a computer-assisted internet hunting program in Massachusetts or to operate a shooting range for this purpose. Read the law in full here.

2006 – Animal Fighting and Cruelty Laws are Strengthened
An Act Relating to the Penalties for Animal Fighting strengthened Massachusetts’ statutes pertaining to animal fighting. The law enables better enforcement by clarifying the authority of law enforcement to seize paraphernalia intended to be used for illegal animal fighting and to seize the offspring of animals who are intended to be used in future fights.  The law also requires the forfeiture or surrender of an animal if the owner has been convicted of animal cruelty, so that the animal does not go back to the abuser. Read the law in full here.

2004 – Recognizing the Link between Animal Abuse and Human Violence
A law was passed that allows the Department of Social Services (DSS) employees to report instances of animal abuse, cruelty, or neglect when they are conducting investigations. The DSS employee may report the case to any organization that investigates animal abuse within two days of witnessing the abuse. Read the law in full here.

2004 – Animal Abuse Becomes a Felony Offense
When this law passed, cruelty to animals became a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and/or a $2,500 fine. Under the previous statute, pet owners faced lesser penalties for abusing their own animals compared to individuals who abused animals who did not belong to them. Read the law in full here.

2002 – Spay and Neuter License Plates Hit the Road
The MSPCA helped to pass a law and posted the bond that got the “I’m Animal Friendly” license plates off the ground! These plates fund low-cost spay/neuter programs across the state. For more information and to find out about purchasing a plate, click here. Read the law in full here.

2002 – Protecting Animals Seized in Cruelty Cases
This law is designed to protect animals that have been abused and have been seized by law enforcement authorities. These animals can spend years in “legal limbo” while the case goes to trial. This law allows the court to require the defendant to post a bond to help care for the seized animal and prevent trial delays. This prevents animals from having to face the stress of being boarded for a long time. Read the law in full here.

2001 – Protections for Veterinarians and Reporting of Animal Abuse
This statute protects veterinarians from civil or criminal liability when they alert authorities to an animal they suspect has been inhumanely treated. The fear of being sued or of breaking client-doctor confidentiality may cause some veterinarians to hesitate to report the problem. The Good Samaritan law is intended to encourage practitioner reporting by granting legal protections when, for good reason, veterinarians breach client confidentiality to report abuse. Read this law in full. In 2014, the law changed to require veterinarians to report suspected animal cruelty.

1997 – Preventing Animals From Falling and Jumping from Pick-up Trucks
This law requires that an animal be safely cross-tethered or otherwise secured in an open vehicle, such as a pick-up truck or jeep, so that the animal does not jump or fall.  More than 700 dogs were being injured or killed each year in Massachusetts in this manner prior to this bill’s passage. Read the law in full here.

1996 – The Wildlife Protection Act
The 1996 Wildlife Protection Act (Question 1) was passed by a 64% majority of Massachusetts voters and consisted of three sections: 1. It restricted the use, setting, manufacturing, or possession of body gripping traps (such as leghold traps) to capture fur-bearing mammals; 2. It prohibited the pursuit or hunting of bear or bobcat with dogs; 3. It eliminated the requirements that 5 of the 7 board members of the DFW – the agency responsible for managing wildlife – must have held sporting licenses for 5 consecutive years and that 4 members must represent trapping, hunting, and fishing interests. Section one of this law is the portion that impacts how beaver problems are solved; this section was changed in July 2000; it is found in M.G.L. Ch. 131 section 80A.

1989 – Pets in Housing Law
Following a year-long pilot program involving seven state housing authorities, the Massachusetts Legislature passed a law establishing a program of pet ownership in state-aided public housing for seniors and disabled residents. Our Pets in Housing program was established to work with federal and state housing authorities to promote responsible pet ownership by implementing workable “pets allowed” policies and to enforce federal laws allowing elderly and disabled people living in subsidized housing to stay with their animals.

1983 – Massachusetts Protects Stray Animals by Banning “Pound Seizure”
This law prevents the taking of lost, stray, or abandoned pets from municipally funded animal shelters for the purpose of research, testing, or teaching. Read this law. More info: Massachusetts Outlawing Laboratory Use of Pets, December 1983, New York Times.