[Adopted 11-5-2012]
(Note: See § 3.2-6540, Code of Virginia.)
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
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.
A canine or canine crossbreed that has:
Killed a person;
Inflicted serious injury to a person, including multiple bites,
serious disfigurement, serious impairment of health, or serious impairment
of a bodily function; or
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.
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, Code of Virginia. 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., Code of Virginia) of Chapter 15 of Title 19.2. The commonwealth shall be required to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
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.
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.
The owner of any animal found to be a dangerous dog shall, within
45 days of such finding, obtain a dangerous dog registration certificate
from the local animal control officer or treasurer for a fee of $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. By January
31 of each year, until such time as the dangerous dog is deceased,
all certificates obtained pursuant to this section shall be updated
and renewed for a fee of $85 and in the same manner as the initial
certificate was obtained. The animal control officer shall post registration
information on the Virginia Dangerous Dog Registry.
A.
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:
(1)
Of the animal's current rabies vaccination, if applicable;
(2)
That the animal has been neutered or spayed; and
(3)
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.
B.
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:
C.
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.
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.
A.
The owner shall cause the local animal control officer to be promptly
notified of:
(1)
The names, addresses, and telephone numbers of all owners;
(2)
All of the means necessary to locate the owner and the dog at any
time;
(3)
Any complaints or incidents of attack by the dog upon any person
or cat or dog;
(4)
Any claims made or lawsuits brought as a result of any attack;
(5)
Tattoo or chip identification information, or both;
(6)
Proof of insurance or surety bond; and
(7)
The death of the dog.
C.
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.
A.
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 1 misdemeanor 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.
B.
The provisions of this section 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.
C.
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.
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 Rappahannock County for the purpose of paying the expenses of any
training course required under § 3.2-6556, Code of Virginia.
The adoption of this article by the County of Rappahannock shall not act to in any way restrict the ability of the Attorney for the commonwealth from proceeding under the corresponding provision of state law, to wit: § 3.2-6540, Code of Virginia, and prosecuting a violation of § 65-31A(3) as a felony.
The owner of any dog which is placed in the County Animal Shelter
under the terms of this article, or as otherwise provided by law,
shall be liable to the County of Rappahannock for boarding, feeding
and caring for the dog, including necessary veterinary care. (Note:
See §§ 3.2-6585, 3.2-6569 and 3.2-6546, Code of Virginia.)
