rental-property dog maine
Does Maine law require a tenant to leash a dog on a rented property occupied by other tenants?
<p>I live in Maine and have a multi-unit home with two units — a first-floor unit and second-floor unit — that I rent out.  The two units share the same foyer, and the tenants do not know each other well.</p>
<p>The tenant on the first floor recently acquired an adult male pit bull, which I have so far permitted under the lease agreement.  The dog is not under the owner's vocal command, so by Maine law the owner must keep the dog on a leash when not on property.  However, he often has the dog off of a leash when he is outside of his apartment — for example in the foyer, on the porch, and around the yard — and the other tenant has expressed concerns about safety, for instance when she is exiting her second-floor apartment through the foyer.</p>
<p>Does Maine state law or court precedent require that the dog be leashed on the rental property?  This information would be helpful for determining how I should approach the situation.</p>

<p>The clostest to such a state law, which would be under part 9 of <a href="https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/statutes/7/title7ch0sec0.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">title 7</a>, is §3911, which forbids any dog from being &quot;at large&quot;. That term is <a href="http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/7/title7sec3907.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">defined</a> as &quot;off the premises of the owner and not under the control of any person whose personal presence and attention would reasonably control the conduct of the animal&quot;. The term &quot;premise&quot; is not defined in a general manner in title 7, though in the definition of &quot;dangerous dog&quot; and &quot;nuisance dog&quot;, it is defined as &quot;the residence or residences, including buildings and land and motor vehicles, belonging to the owner or keeper of the dog or wolf hybrid&quot; (the primary question being whether &quot;the land&quot; is part of &quot;the premise&quot;). In light of the mixed definition of &quot;premise&quot; in Maine law and given the extant evidence of legislative intent in title 7, the courts would conclude that &quot;in the yard&quot; is being &quot;on the premise&quot;. In other words, the dog is not &quot;at large&quot;. <a href="https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/statutes/7/title7ch727sec0.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Chapter 727</a> contains separate provisions for a court determination that a dog is &quot;dangerous&quot; or &quot;a nuisance&quot;, which is triggered by assault or threaten of bodily injury by a dog.</p>
