Massachusetts § 77A Willfully injuring police dogs and horses

Massachusetts Statutes

§ 77A — Willfully injuring police dogs and horses

Massachusetts § 77A

Part IVCRIMES, PUNISHMENTS AND PROCEEDINGS IN CRIMINAL CASES

Title ICRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS

Ch. 272CRIMES AGAINST CHASTITY, MORALITY, DECENCY AND GOOD ORDER

This text of Massachusetts § 77A (Willfully injuring police dogs and horses) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 272, § 77A (2026).

Text

Section 77A. Whoever willfully tortures, torments, beats, kicks, strikes, mutilates, injures, disables or otherwise mistreats, a dog or horse owned by a police department or police agency of the commonwealth or any of its political subdivisions or whoever, willfully by any action whatsoever, interferes with the lawful performance of such dog or horse shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars and not more than five hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than two and one-half years or both. Persons violating this section may be arrested without a warrant by any officer qualified to serve criminal process provided said offense is committed in his presence.

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Section 77A. Whoever willfully tortures, torments, beats, kicks, strikes, mutilates, injures, disables or otherwise mistreats, a dog or horse owned by a police department or police agency of the commonwealth or any of its political subdivisions or whoever, willfully by any action whatsoever, interferes with the lawful performance of such dog or horse shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars and not more than five hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than two and one-half years or both. Persons violating this section may be arrested without a warrant by any officer qualified to serve criminal process provided said offense is committed in his presence.

Nearby Sections

4

§ 77

Cruelty to animals; prohibition from work involving contact with animals

§ 77A

Willfully injuring police dogs and horses

§ 77B

Exhibition of wild animals

§ 77C

Sexual contact with animal

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Massachusetts § 77A, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/statute/ma/272/77A.