Laws on killing predator dogs

I live in Ohio so here is a link, to the Ohio State Law about shooting dogs. This is for those living in Ohio only.
I myself am tired of dealing with them.
Know your State laws.

http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/955.28

You can find the state laws for many states on the Animal Website.
www.animallaw.com

Here is Michigan's
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(umym3p45pwia3p55tkjwtv45))/mileg.aspx?page=GetObject&objectname=mcl-Act-339-of-1919



287.278 Killing of dog molesting wildlife.
Sec. 18.

A law enforcement officer may kill a dog determined to be molesting wildlife and not hunting as defined in this act.

287.279 Killing of dog pursuing, worrying, or wounding livestock or poultry, or attacking person; damages for trespass; effect of license tag.
Sec. 19.

Any person including a law enforcement officer may kill any dog which he sees in the act of pursuing, worrying, or wounding any livestock or poultry or attacking persons, and there shall be no liability on such person in damages or otherwise, for such killing.

Any dog that enters any field or enclosure which is owned by or leased by a person producing livestock or poultry, outside of a city, unaccompanied by his owner or his owner's agent, shall constitute a trespass, and the owner shall be liable in damages.

Except as provided in this section, it shall be unlawful for any person, other than a law enforcement officer, to kill or injure or attempt to kill or injure any dog which bears a license tag for the current year.

287.279a Killing dog or other animal; use of high altitude decompression chamber or electrocution prohibited.
Sec. 19a.

An animal control officer or other person killing a dog or other animal pursuant to the laws of this state shall not use a high altitude decompression chamber or electrocution for that killing.

Welcome to Texas

§ 822.013. Dogs or Coyotes That Attack Animals


(a) A dog or coyote that is attacking, is about to attack, or has recently attacked livestock, domestic animals, or fowls may be killed by:

(1) any person witnessing the attack; or

(2) the attacked animal's owner or a person acting on behalf of the owner if the owner or person has knowledge of the attack.

(b) A person who kills a dog or coyote as provided by this section is not liable for damages to the owner, keeper, or person in control of the dog or coyote.

(c) A person who discovers on the person's property a dog or coyote known or suspected of having killed livestock, domestic animals, or fowls may detain or impound the dog or coyote and return it to its owner or deliver the dog or coyote to the local animal control authority. The owner of the dog or coyote is liable for all costs incurred in the capture and care of the dog or coyote and all damage done by the dog or coyote.

(d) The owner, keeper, or person in control of a dog or coyote that is known to have attacked livestock, domestic animals, or fowls shall control the dog or coyote in a manner approved by the local animal control authority.

(e) A person is not required to acquire a hunting license under Section 42.002, Parks and Wildlife Code, to kill a dog or coyote under this section.

http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stustxhealthsafetycode822_001_828_015.htm#s822_013

Missouri: (Revised Statutes)

273.020 In every case where sheep or other domestic animals are killed or maimed by dogs, the owner of such animals may recover against the owner or keeper of such dog or dogs the full amount of damages and the owner shall forthwith kill such dog or dogs; and for every day he shall refuse or neglect to do so, after notice, he shall pay and forfeit the sum of one dollar, and it shall be lawful for any person to kill such dog or dogs; provided, however, that whenever in any case the facts shall show that in the worrying or killing, maiming or wounding of any said sheep or other domestic animals that the same was done by two or more dogs belonging to different owners, then the plaintiff, the person whose animals were killed, wounded or maimed, may at his or her election, join all of the owners of said dogs as joint tort-feasors or may sue each one separately at his or her election.

273.030 If any person shall discover any dog or dogs in the act of killing, wounding or chasing sheep in any portion of this state, or shall discover any dog or dogs under such circumstances as to satisfactorily show that such dog or dogs has or have been recently engaged in killing or chasing sheep or other domestic animal or animals, such person is authorized to immediately pursue and kill such dog or dogs; provided, however, that such dog or dogs shall not be killed in any enclosure belonging to or being in lawful possession of the owner of such dog or dogs.

If your birds are killed one of the sources of recompense is described in this section:

273.070 1. County clerks shall issue licenses to applicants and shall deliver to the applicants a metallic plate having the number corresponding to that of the license stamped thereon and shall deliver to such party a certificate from the book furnished to him by the secretary of state, which said certificates, as well as the margin or part thereof remaining in the book after cutting out the certificate, shall contain the number of the license, the year for which the same is granted, the name and residence of the owner of the dog, and the sex, color and description of the dog for which the license is paid and the amount of the tax paid therefor.

2. Such clerk shall retain out of the money received for such license issued the sum of ten cents, which shall cover all his services under sections 273.040 to 273.180, and he shall pay the balance and all other sums received by him under the provisions of sections 273.040 to 273.180, less the cost of license tags, record books, blank applications and affidavits and the cost of transmitting the balance to the treasurer of the county.

3. The treasurer of the county shall set any and all sums so received apart in a separate fund to be known as a "County Dog License Fund", and such fund shall be used only for the purpose of compensating persons who have suffered loss or damage through injury or killing by dogs of any livestock or poultry owned by them and located in said county at the time of such injury or killing, in an amount not to exceed the market value thereof at the time of such injury or killing. The county commission of each county in this state is authorized to expend and draw county warrants against such fund only as herein provided; provided, that sections 273.040 to 273.180 shall not be construed to prevent suits at law for damages caused to livestock or poultry by dogs.

Animal Abuse and Neglect Statute: (pertinent exception)

578.009 (9) The killing of an animal by any person at any time if such animal is outside of the owned or rented property of the owner or custodian of such animal and the animal is injuring any person or farm animal but shall not include police or guard dogs while working.

Link to University of Missouri's Ag Law center: http://aglaw.missouri.edu/

Can anyone help me find PA Law?

We've had a few (very friendly) dogs come through here recently. We are very rural and in the summers, the city folk will come up here and I guess their dogs will roam. I would never kill a dog unless it attacked me 'cause I've never met a dog I didn't like, so we just put up 1,000 feet of fencing around the house. Keeps out other dogs, keeps mine in and the chickens safer.

I feel alot better about having the fence and a locked gate at the driveway too. It's at least a small, but first line of defense.

Quote:
http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stuspa3ps459_502.htm#s501

459-501. Killing dogs; dogs as nuisances

(a) Legal to kill certain dogs.--Any person may kill any dog which he sees in the act of pursuing or wounding or killing any domestic animal, wounding or killing other dogs, cats or household pets, or pursuing, wounding or attacking human beings, whether or not such a dog bears the license tag required by the provisions of this act. There shall be no liability on such persons in damages or otherwise for such killing.

(b) Private nuisance.--Any dog that enters any field or enclosure where domestic animals are confined, provided that the enclosure is adequate for the purpose intended, shall constitute a private nuisance, and the owner or tenant of such field, or their agent or servant, may detain such dog and turn it over to the local police authority or State dog warden or employee of the department. While so detained, the dog shall be treated in a humane manner.

(c) Licensed dogs not included.--Licensed dogs, when accompanied by their owner or handler, shall not be included under the provisions of this section unless caught in the act of pursuing, wounding or killing any domestic animal, wounding or killing any dogs, cats or household pets, or pursuing, wounding or attacking human beings.

(d) Repealed. 1990, May 31, P.L. 213, No. 46, effective in 60 days.

CREDIT(S)

1982, Dec. 7, P.L. 784, No. 225, art. V, § 501, effective Jan. 1, 1983. Amended 1990, May 31, P.L. 213, No. 46, § 1, effective in 60 days; 1996, Dec. 11, P.L. 943, No. 151, § 11, effective in 60 days

Thank-you HorseJody!! Sorry, I must've missed your post #2.

Alabama:

In Regards to the Pennsylvania laws, I think it needs a bit of fleshing out. I put up the following post in response to another person's question about PA dog laws. The short answer is be real careful because the PA animal cruelty law is very strong.



Take a second look at the PA laws. I don’t think your legal position is as tight as you would like it to be. Your protection of fowl defense (Title 3 P.S. § 459-501) is only an affirmative defense to a civil suit or a misdemeanor criminal charge of cruelty to animals (18 Pa. C.S.A. § 5511). That means that you will have to prove in court that the offending dog was ACTUALLY pursuing your chickens at the time of the shooting. Also, the only PA case on point shows that this law and the exclusion to the cruelty to animals statute only applies in limited circumstances. In the case of Commonwealth v. Ingram, 926 A.2d 470 (Pa. Super 2007), the Defendant shot two dogs which were chasing his farmed white-tailed deer from the outside of the deer pen. When chased by dogs, the deer would run into their cages and injure themselves, rendering them valueless. The court found that the statute which states: “Any person may kill any dog which he sees in the act of pursuing or wounding or killing any domestic animal” meant that because the dogs were outside the deer enclosure, they were not pursuing the deer. The court looked to the dictionary for the definition of pursue and found that it meant “to follow in order to capture, overtake, kill, ect.” It reasoned that since the dogs could not capture, overtake or kill the deer, they were not pursuing the deer. Consequently, the Defendant received a sentence of between three days and one year in jail, a year of probation and 500 hours of community service.
The moral of the story is to: 1. wait to shoot the dog until it is INSIDE the chicken pen and chasing or killing chickens. 2. Trap the dog and call the dog warden 3. Catch the dog in the pen and call the dog warden or 4. If the chickens are free-ranging, shoot the dog as it chases one of them.
You may well go to jail for shooting someone’s dog unless it is pursuing your livestock in such a way that they are seconds away from dying.
Keep in mind that the law on this subject could be very different in each state.