§ 459-601. Theft; poison; abandonment.
§ 459-602. Dogs used for law enforcement.
§ 459-603. Selling, bartering or trading dogs.
(a) Dogs To Be Personal Property.--All dogs are hereby declared to be personal property and subjects of theft.
(b) Placement Of Poison Illegal.--It shall be unlawful for a person to place any poison or harmful substance of any description in any place, on his own premises or elsewhere, where it may be easily found and eaten by dogs. Anyone convicted of violating this subsection commits a summary offense.
(b.1) Intentional Poisoning Of Dogs Illegal.--It shall be unlawful for any person to place any poison or harmful substance of any description in any place, on his own premises or elsewhere, with the intent that the poison or substance be eaten by dogs. Anyone convicted of violating this subsection commits a misdemeanor of the second degree and shall be sentenced to pay a fine of not less than $1,000 nor more than $2,000 or to imprisonment for not more than two years, or both. A subsequent conviction under this subsection shall constitute a felony of the third degree.
(c) Abandonment Of Animals By Owner.--
(a) Illegal to taunt law enforcement dogs.-It shall be unlawful for any persons to willfully and maliciously taunt, torment, tease, beat, kick or strike any dog, including any search and rescue or accelerant detection dogs, 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 such 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 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 degree.
(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 accelerant 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 such 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 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 degree.
(c) Illegal to deny facilities or service due to police dog use.-AIt shall be unlawful for the proprietor, manager or employee of a theater, hotel, motel, restaurant or other place of entertainment, amusement or accommodation to refuse, withhold from or deny to any person, due to the use of a working police dog used by any State or county or municipal police or sheriff's department or agency, either directly or indirectly, any of the accommodations, advantages, facilities or privileges of the theater, hotel, motel, restaurant or other place of public entertainment, amusement or accommodation. Any person who violates any of the provisions of this subsection commits a felony of the third degree.
(d) Quarantine of certain dogs not required.-Quarantine of dogs as required by law shall not apply to dogs owned by any municipal or State police department or agency when such dogs are under the direct supervision and care of a police officer and subject to routine veterinary care.
(a) Illegal Transfers.-- It shall be unlawful to offer a dog as an inducement to purchase a product, commodity or service. The sale of a dog by a licensed kennel shall not be considered to be an inducement.
(b) Illegal To Transfer Ownership Of Certain Puppies.--It shall be unlawful to barter, trade, raffle, sell, auction or in any way transfer ownership of a dog under seven weeks of age, unless the dog has been orphaned and it becomes necessary to transfer ownership of the orphaned dog to a nonprofit kennel, or from a nonprofit kennel with approval by a licensed doctor of veterinary medicine.
(c) Illegal For Certain Persons To Transfer Dogs.--It shall be unlawful for any person to buy, sell, transfer, barter, trade, raffle, auction or rent a dog at any public place in this Commonwealth other than a kennel licensed pursuant to this act, or a dog show or field trial sponsored by a recognized breed or kennel association. If a purchase, sale, transfer, barter, trade, raffle, auction or rental of a dog occurs at or on the premises of a kennel, the transaction shall be unlawful unless one of the parties to the transaction is an employee, volunteer or other person acting as an authorized representative of the kennel.
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