Animal Cruelty:
Animal cruelty is a
felony in the state of
Arizona
Read the actual law
below.
A. A person commits
cruelty to animals if
the person does any of
the following:
1. Intentionally,
knowingly or recklessly
subjects any animal
under the person's
custody or control to
cruel neglect or
abandonment.
2. Intentionally,
knowingly or recklessly
fails to provide medical
attention necessary to
prevent protracted
suffering to any animal
under the person's
custody or control.
3. Intentionally,
knowingly or recklessly
inflicts unnecessary
physical injury to any
animal.
4. Recklessly
subjects any animal to
cruel mistreatment.
5. Intentionally,
knowingly or recklessly
kills any animal under
the custody or control
of another person
without either legal
privilege or consent of
the owner.
6. Recklessly
interferes with, kills
or harms a working or
service animal without
either legal privilege
or consent of the owner.
7. Intentionally,
knowingly or recklessly
leaves an animal
unattended and confined
in a motor vehicle and
physical injury to or
death of the animal is
likely to result.
8. Intentionally or
knowingly subjects any
animal under the
person's custody or
control to cruel neglect
or abandonment that
results in serious
physical injury to the
animal.
9. Intentionally or
knowingly subjects any
animal to cruel
mistreatment.
10. Intentionally or
knowingly interferes
with, kills or harms a
working or service
animal without either
legal privilege or
consent of the owner.
11. Intentionally or
knowingly allows any dog
that is under the
person's custody or
control to interfere
with, kill or cause
physical injury to a
service animal.
12. Recklessly allows
any dog that is under
the person's custody or
control to interfere
with, kill or cause
physical injury to a
service animal.
13. Intentionally or
knowingly obtains or
exerts unauthorized
control over a service
animal with the intent
to deprive the service
animal handler of the
service animal.
B. It is a defense to
subsection A of this
section if:
1. Any person exposes
poison to be taken by a
dog that has killed or
wounded livestock or
poison to be taken by
predatory animals on
premises owned, leased
or controlled by the
person for the purpose
of protecting the person
or the person's
livestock or poultry,
and the treated property
is kept posted by the
person who authorized or
performed the treatment
until the poison has
been removed, and the
poison is removed by the
person exposing the
poison after the threat
to the person, or the
person's livestock or
poultry has ceased to
exist. The posting
required shall provide
adequate warning to
persons who enter the
property by the point or
points of normal entry.
The warning notice that
is posted shall be
readable at a distance
of fifty feet, shall
contain a poison
statement and symbol and
shall state the word
"danger" or "warning".
2. Any person uses
poisons in and
immediately around
buildings owned, leased
or controlled by the
person for the purpose
of controlling wild and
domestic rodents as
otherwise allowed by the
laws of the state,
excluding any
fur-bearing animals as
defined in section
17-101.
C. This section does
not prohibit or
restrict:
1. The taking of
wildlife or other
activities permitted by
or pursuant to title 17.
2. Activities
permitted by or pursuant
to title 3.
3. Activities
regulated by the Arizona
game and fish department
or the Arizona
department of
agriculture.
D. A peace officer,
animal control
enforcement agent or
animal control
enforcement deputy may
use reasonable force to
open a vehicle to rescue
an animal if the animal
is left in the vehicle
as prescribed in
subsection A, paragraph
7 of this section.
E. A person who is
convicted of a violation
of subsection A,
paragraph 6 or 10 of
this section is liable
as follows:
1. If the working or
service animal was
killed or disabled, to
the owner or agency that
owns the working or
service animal and that
employs the handler or
to the owner or handler
for the replacement and
training costs of the
working or service
animal and for any
veterinary bills.
2. To the owner or
agency that owns a
working or service
animal for the salary of
the handler for the
period of time that the
handler's services are
lost to the owner or
agency.
3. To the owner for
the owner's contractual
losses with the agency.
F. An incorporated
city or town or a county
may adopt an ordinance
with misdemeanor
provisions at least as
stringent as the
misdemeanor provisions
of this section.
G. A person who
violates subsection A,
paragraph 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
6, 7 or 12 of this
section is guilty of a
class 1 misdemeanor. A
person who violates
subsection A, paragraph
8, 9, 10, 11 or 13 of
this section is guilty
of a class 6 felony.
H. For the purposes
of this section:
1. "Animal" means a
mammal, bird, reptile or
amphibian.
2. "Cruel
mistreatment" means to
torture or otherwise
inflict unnecessary
serious physical injury
upon an animal or to
kill an animal in a
manner that causes
protracted suffering to
the animal.
3. "Cruel neglect"
means to fail to provide
an animal with necessary
food, water or shelter.
4. "Handler" means a
law enforcement officer
or any other person who
has successfully
completed a course of
training prescribed by
the person's agency or
the service animal owner
and who used a specially
trained animal under the
direction of the
person's agency or the
service animal owner.
5. "Service animal"
means an animal that has
completed a formal
training program, that
assists its owner in one
or more daily living
tasks that are
associated with a
productive lifestyle and
that is trained to not
pose a danger to the
health and safety of the
general public.
6. "Working animal"
means a horse or dog
that is used by a law
enforcement agency, that
is specially trained for
law enforcement work and
that is under the
control of a handler.
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