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2012 SESSION
12100988DBe it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §§ 3.2-6540 and 3.2-6542 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows:
§ 3.2-6540. Control of dangerous or vicious dogs; penalties.
A. As used in this section:
"Dangerous dog" means a canine or canine crossbreed that has bitten, attacked, or inflicted injury on a person or companion animal that is a dog or cat, or killed a companion animal that is a dog or cat. When a dog attacks or bites a companion animal that is a dog or cat, the attacking or biting dog shall not be deemed dangerous: (i) if no serious physical injury as determined by a licensed veterinarian has occurred to the dog or cat as a result of the attack or bite; (ii) if both animals are owned by the same person; (iii) if such attack occurs on the property of the attacking or biting dog's owner or custodian; or (iv) for other good cause as determined by the court. No dog shall be found to be a dangerous dog as a result of biting, attacking, or inflicting injury on a dog or cat while engaged with an owner or custodian as part of lawful hunting or participating in an organized, lawful dog handling event. No dog that has bitten, attacked, or inflicted injury on a person shall be found to be a dangerous dog if the court determines, based on the totality of the evidence before it, that the dog is not dangerous or a threat to the community.
"Vicious dog" means a canine or canine crossbreed that has: (i) killed a person; (ii) inflicted serious injury to a person, including multiple bites, serious disfigurement, serious impairment of health, or serious impairment of a bodily function; or (iii) continued to exhibit the behavior that resulted in a previous finding by a court or, on or before July 1, 2006, by an animal control officer as authorized by ordinance, that it is a dangerous dog, provided that its owner has been given notice of that finding.
B. Any law-enforcement officer or animal control officer who has reason to believe that a canine or canine crossbreed within his jurisdiction is a dangerous dog or vicious dog shall apply to a magistrate serving the jurisdiction for the issuance of a summons requiring the owner or custodian, if known, to appear before a general district court at a specified time. The summons shall advise the owner of the nature of the proceeding and the matters at issue. If a law-enforcement officer successfully makes an application for the issuance of a summons, he shall contact the local animal control officer and inform him of the location of the dog and the relevant facts pertaining to his belief that the dog is dangerous or vicious. The animal control officer shall confine the animal until such time as evidence shall be heard and a verdict rendered. If the animal control officer determines that the owner or custodian can confine the animal in a manner that protects the public safety, he may permit the owner or custodian to confine the animal until such time as evidence shall be heard and a verdict rendered. The court, through its contempt powers, may compel the owner, custodian or harborer of the animal to produce the animal. If, after hearing the evidence, the court finds that the animal is a dangerous dog, the court shall order the animal's owner to comply with the provisions of this section. If, after hearing the evidence, the court finds that the animal is a vicious dog, the court shall order the animal euthanized in accordance with the provisions of § 3.2-6562. The court, upon finding the animal to be a dangerous or vicious dog, may order the owner, custodian, or harborer thereof to pay restitution for actual damages to any person injured by the animal or whose companion animal was injured or killed by the animal. The procedure for appeal and trial shall be the same as provided by law for misdemeanors. Trial by jury shall be as provided in Article 4 (§ 19.2-260 et seq.) of Chapter 15 of Title 19.2. The Commonwealth shall be required to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
C. No canine or canine crossbreed shall be found to be a dangerous dog or vicious dog solely because it is a particular breed, nor is the ownership of a particular breed of canine or canine crossbreed prohibited. No animal shall be found to be a dangerous dog or vicious dog if the threat, injury or damage was sustained by a person who was: (i) committing, at the time, a crime upon the premises occupied by the animal's owner or custodian; (ii) committing, at the time, a willful trespass upon the premises occupied by the animal's owner or custodian; or (iii) provoking, tormenting, or physically abusing the animal, or can be shown to have repeatedly provoked, tormented, abused, or assaulted the animal at other times. No police dog that was engaged in the performance of its duties as such at the time of the acts complained of shall be found to be a dangerous dog or a vicious dog. No animal that, at the time of the acts complained of, was responding to pain or injury, or was protecting itself, its kennel, its offspring, a person, or its owner's or custodian's property, shall be found to be a dangerous dog or a vicious dog.
D. If the owner of an animal found to be a dangerous dog is a minor, the custodial parent or legal guardian shall be responsible for complying with all requirements of this section.
E. The owner of any animal found to be a dangerous dog shall,
within 10 45 days
of such finding, obtain a dangerous dog registration certificate from the local
animal control officer or treasurer for a fee of $50 $150,
in addition to other fees that may be authorized by law. The local animal
control officer or treasurer shall also provide the owner with a uniformly
designed tag that identifies the animal as a dangerous dog. The owner shall
affix the tag to the animal's collar and ensure that the animal wears the
collar and tag at all times. All By January 31 of each year, until such time as the
dangerous dog is deceased, all
certificates obtained pursuant to this subsection shall be updated and renewed annually
for the same a fee of
$85 and in the same manner as the initial certificate was obtained.
The animal control officer shall provide
a copy of the dangerous dog registration certificate and verification of
compliance to the State Veterinarian post registration
information on the Virginia Dangerous Dog
Registry.
F. All dangerous dog registration certificates or renewals thereof required to be obtained under this section shall only be issued to persons 18 years of age or older who present satisfactory evidence: (i) of the animal's current rabies vaccination, if applicable; (ii) that the animal has been neutered or spayed; and (iii) that the animal is and will be confined in a proper enclosure or is and will be confined inside the owner's residence or is and will be muzzled and confined in the owner's fenced-in yard until the proper enclosure is constructed. In addition, owners who apply for certificates or renewals thereof under this section shall not be issued a certificate or renewal thereof unless they present satisfactory evidence that: (i) their residence is and will continue to be posted with clearly visible signs warning both minors and adults of the presence of a dangerous dog on the property; and (ii) the animal has been permanently identified by means of a tattoo on the inside thigh or by electronic implantation. All certificates or renewals thereof required to be obtained under this section shall only be issued to persons who present satisfactory evidence that the owner has liability insurance coverage, to the value of at least $100,000, that covers animal bites. The owner may obtain and maintain a bond in surety, in lieu of liability insurance, to the value of at least $100,000.
G. While on the property of its owner, an animal found to be a dangerous dog shall be confined indoors or in a securely enclosed and locked structure of sufficient height and design to prevent its escape or direct contact with or entry by minors, adults, or other animals. The structure shall be designed to provide the animal with shelter from the elements of nature. When off its owner's property, an animal found to be a dangerous dog shall be kept on a leash and muzzled in such a manner as not to cause injury to the animal or interfere with the animal's vision or respiration, but so as to prevent it from biting a person or another animal.
H. The owner of any dog
found to be dangerous shall register the animal with the Commonwealth of
Virginia Dangerous Dog Registry, as established under § 3.2-6542, within 45
days of such a finding by any appropriate court.
The owner shall also
cause the local animal control officer to be promptly notified of: (i) the
names, addresses, and telephone numbers of all owners; (ii) all of the means
necessary to locate the owner and the dog at any time; (iii) any complaints or
incidents of attack by the dog upon any person or cat or dog; (iv) any claims
made or lawsuits brought as a result of any attack; (v) tattoo or chip
identification information or both; (vi) proof of insurance or surety bond; and
(vii) the death of the dog.
I. After an animal has been found to be a dangerous dog, the animal's owner shall immediately, upon learning of same, cause the local animal control authority to be notified if the animal: (i) is loose or unconfined; or (ii) bites a person or attacks another animal; or (iii) is sold, given away, or dies. Any owner of a dangerous dog who relocates to a new address shall, within 10 days of relocating, provide written notice to the appropriate local animal control authority for the old address from which the animal has moved and the new address to which the animal has been moved.
J. Any owner or custodian of a canine or canine crossbreed or other animal is guilty of a:
1. Class 2 misdemeanor if the canine or canine crossbreed previously declared a dangerous dog pursuant to this section, when such declaration arose out of a separate and distinct incident, attacks and injures or kills a cat or dog that is a companion animal belonging to another person;
2. Class 1 misdemeanor if the canine or canine crossbreed previously declared a dangerous dog pursuant to this section, when such declaration arose out of a separate and distinct incident, bites a human being or attacks a human being causing bodily injury; or
3. Class 6 felony if any owner or custodian whose willful act or omission in the care, control, or containment of a canine, canine crossbreed, or other animal is so gross, wanton, and culpable as to show a reckless disregard for human life, and is the proximate cause of such dog or other animal attacking and causing serious bodily injury to any person.
The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to any animal that, at the time of the acts complained of, was responding to pain or injury, or was protecting itself, its kennel, its offspring, a person, or its owner's or custodian's property, or when the animal is a police dog that is engaged in the performance of its duties at the time of the attack.
K. The owner of any animal that has been found to be a dangerous dog who willfully fails to comply with the requirements of this section is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.
L. All fees collected pursuant to this section, less the costs incurred by the animal control authority in producing and distributing the certificates and tags required by this section and fees due to the State Veterinarian for maintenance of the Virginia Dangerous Dog Registry, shall be paid into a special dedicated fund in the treasury of the locality for the purpose of paying the expenses of any training course required under § 3.2-6556.
M. The governing body of any locality may enact an ordinance parallel to this statute regulating dangerous and vicious dogs. No locality may impose a felony penalty for violation of such ordinances.
§ 3.2-6542. Establishment of Dangerous Dog Registry.
The Commissioner shall establish the Commonwealth
of Virginia Dangerous Dog Registry to be maintained by the
Department, Office of Veterinary Services.
Each owner of any canine or canine crossbreed found by any appropriate court to
be a dangerous dog shall be required to register the animal as a dangerous dog
within 45 days of such finding Animal Care and Health Policy. The State Veterinarian shall
receive, post, and maintain the information provided and posted by the owner, animal control
officers, and or
other such officials statewide on a website. All information collected for the
Dangerous Dog Registry shall be available to animal control officers via the
website. Registration information shall
include the name of the animal, a photograph, sex, age, weight, primary breed,
secondary breed, color and markings, whether spayed or neutered, the acts that
resulted in the dog being designated as dangerous and associated trial docket
information, microchip or tattoo number, address where the animal is
maintained, name of the owner, address of the owner, telephone numbers of the
owner, and a statement that the owner has complied with the provisions of the
dangerous dog order. The address of the owner along with the name and breed of
the dangerous dog, the acts that resulted in the dog being deemed dangerous,
and information necessary to access court records of the adjudication shall be
available to the general public. By January 31 of each year, until such time as
the dangerous dog is deceased, the owner shall submit to
an animal control officer or other designated local official of the county or
city in which he currently
resides a renewal registration that shall include all
information contained in the original registration and any updates. The owner
shall verify the information is accurate by annual resubmissions. The owner shall submit
to the State Veterinarian a $100 initial registration fee and a $35 renewal
registration fee The animal control
officer or other such official shall post any updates on the
website. In the event that the
dangerous dog is moved to a different location, or contact information for the
owner changes in any way at any time, the owner shall submit a renewal
containing the address of the new location or other updated information within
10 days of such move or change to an animal control
officer or other such official for the new location. There
shall be no charge for any updated information provided between renewals. Each county and city shall submit to the State Veterinarian by January 31 of each year $90 for each dangerous dog it initially
registered and $25 for each dangerous dog for which it renewed registration
within the previous calendar year. Any
funds collected pursuant to this section shall be used by the State
Veterinarian to maintain the registry and website. The website list shall be
known as the Virginia Dangerous Dog Registry.
Actions of the Department relating to the establishment,
operation, and maintenance of the Commonwealth of Virginia
Dangerous Dog Registry under this section shall be exempt from the provisions
of the Administrative Process Act (§ 2.2-4000 et seq.).
Copies of all records, documents, and other papers pertaining to the Dangerous Dog Registry that are duly certified and authenticated in writing on the face of such documents to be true copies by the State Veterinarian or the Dangerous Dog Registry administrator shall be received as evidence with like effect as the original records, documents, or other papers in all courts of the Commonwealth.