Pennsylvania Act 2014-110 — DOG LAW - DOGS USED FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT

Act text

Session of 2014

No. 2014-110

SB 1261

AN ACT

Amending the act of December 7, 1982 (P.L.784, No.225), entitled, as amended, "An act relating to dogs, regulating the keeping of dogs; providing for the licensing of dogs and kennels; providing for the protection of dogs and the detention and destruction of dogs in certain cases; regulating the sale and transportation of dogs; declaring dogs to be personal property and the subject of theft; providing for the abandonment of animals; providing for the assessment of damages done to animals; providing for payment of damages by the Commonwealth in certain cases and the liability of the owner or keeper of dogs for such damages; imposing powers and duties on certain State and local officers and employees; providing penalties; and creating a Dog Law Restricted Account," further providing for dogs used for law enforcement.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1. Section 602(b) of the act of December 7, 1982 (P.L.784, No.225), known as the Dog Law, amended October 9, 2008 (P.L.1450, No.119), is amended to read:

Section 602. Dogs used for law enforcement.

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(b) Illegal to torture certain dogs.--It shall be unlawful for any person to willfully or maliciously torture, mutilate, injure, disable, poison or kill any dog, including any search and rescue or detection dog, used by any municipal, county or State police or sheriff's department or agency, fire department or agency or handler under the supervision of such department or agency, in the performance of the functions or duties of the department or agency or to commit any of the stated acts in the course of interfering with any such dog used by the department or agency or any member or supervised handler thereof in the performance of any of the functions or duties of the department or agency or of such officer or member or supervised handler. Any person who violates any of the provisions of this subsection commits a felony of the [third] second degree.

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Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.

APPROVED--The 2nd day of July, A.D. 2014.

TOM CORBETT