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An Act To Prevent Abuse of Pet Ownership Rights
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 7 MRSA §4011, sub-§1-A, ¶B,  as enacted by PL 1995, c. 490, §21, is amended to read:
 
B.  A person who owns a cat or dog, or the owner's agent, may kill that owner's cat or dog by shooting with a firearm providedonly if the shooting is done to protect public safety or to end the suffering of a severely injured or ill cat or dog and the following conditions are met.
 
(1) The shooting is performed by a person 18 years of age or older using a weapon and ammunition of suitable caliber and other characteristics to produce instantaneous death by a single shot.
 
(2) Death is instantaneous.
 
(3) Maximum precaution is taken to protect the general public, employees and other animals.
 
(4) Any restraint of the cat or dog during the shooting does not cause undue suffering to the cat or dog.
 
SUMMARY
This bill allows the owner of a cat or dog to shoot that cat or dog only if it is done to protect the safety of the public or to end the severely injured or ill cat or dog's suffering.