§ 6-58. Cruelty to animals generally.  


Latest version.
  • (a)

    Any person who:

    (1)

    Overrides, overdrives, overloads, tortures, ill-treats, willfully inflicts inhumane injury or pain, not connected with bona fide scientific or medical experimentation to, or cruelly or unnecessarily beats, maims, mutilates or kills, any animal, whether belonging to such person or another;

    (2)

    Deprives any animal of necessary food, drink, shelter or emergency veterinary treatment;

    (3)

    Sores any equine for any purpose or administers drugs or medications to alter or mask such spring for the purpose of sale, show, or exhibition of any kind, unless such administration of drugs or medications is within the context of a veterinary client-patient relationship and solely for therapeutic purposes;

    (4)

    Willfully sets on foot, instigates, engages in or in any way furthers any act of cruelty to any animal; or

    (5)

    Causes any of the above things, or being the owner of such animal permits such acts to be done by another shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

    (b)

    Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the dehorning of cattle conducted in a reasonable and customary manner.

    (c)

    This section shall not prohibit authorized wildlife management activities or hunting, fishing or trapping or to farming activities as regulated under titles of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, including Title 29.1.

    (d)

    It is unlawful for any person to kill a domestic dog or cat for the purpose of obtaining the hide, fur or pelt of the dog or cat. A violation of this subsection is a Class 1 misdemeanor.

    (e)

    Any person convicted of violating this section may be prohibited by the court from possession or ownership of companion animals.

    (Ord. No. 60, §§ 8, 13; Code 1961, § 4-9; Ord. No. 7299-16)

    State Law reference— Similar provisions, Code of Virginia, § 3.2-6570.

(Ord. No. 60, §§ 8, 13; Code 1961, § 4-9; Ord. No. 7299-16)

State law reference

Similar provisions, Code of Virginia, § 3.2-6570.