Section 139 Fees; certificate or statement that dog has been spayed; dogs serving blind persons; dogs owned by persons aged 70 or over; dogs serving deaf persons; refunds
Section 139. The fee for every license shall, except as otherwise provided, be three dollars for a male dog and six dollars for a female dog, unless a certificate of a registered veterinarian who performed the operation that said female dog has been spayed and has thereby been deprived of the power of propagation has been shown to the town clerk, in which case the fee shall be three dollars. If the town clerk is satisfied that the certificate of the veterinarian who spayed the dog cannot be obtained, he may accept in lieu thereof a statement signed under the penalties of perjury by a veterinarian registered and practicing in the commonwealth, describing the dog and stating that he has examined such dog and that it appears to have been, and in his opinion has been, spayed and thereby deprived of the power of propagation or a receipt of a bill from the veterinarian who performed the operation that spayed such female dog. No fee shall be charged for a license for a dog specially trained to lead or serve a blind person; provided, that the Massachusetts commission for the blind certifies that such dog is so trained and actually in the service of a blind person. No fee shall be charged for a license for a dog owned by a person aged 70 years or over in any city or town that accepts this provision. No fee shall be charged for a license for a dog professionally trained in the hearing dog business to serve a deaf person; provided, that the director of the office of deafness certifies that such dog is so trained and actually in the service of the deaf person. The office on disability shall adopt rules and regulations for the licensing of service dogs and no fee shall be charged for a license for a dog recognized as a service dog. No license fee or part thereof shall be refunded because of the subsequent death, loss, spaying, or removal from the commonwealth or other disposal, of the dog, nor shall any license fee or part thereof paid by mistake be paid or recovered back after it has been paid over to the county under section one hundred and forty-seven.