§ 6-36. Animal neglect.

(a)

Any person who, having charge, custody, or possession of any animal, either as owner or otherwise, and who unjustifiably fails to provide it with proper food, proper water, proper shelter, proper space, proper veterinary care, or proper grooming shall be guilty of animal neglect.

(b)

Any person who carries or causes to be carried a living animal in or upon a vehicle or otherwise in a cruel or inhumane manner shall be guilty of neglect of an animal. An animal control officer, upon complaint of this nature and in the presence of at least one witness, shall be permitted to use all reasonable means, including breaking a window, in order to free an animal showing physical signs of distress from extreme weather or other symptoms which require immediate action to save the life of the animal. The animal control officer shall be immune from liability for any property damage as a result of such action so long as the intent was to save the life of the animal.

(c)

Any person who abandons a confined animal shall be guilty of animal neglect.

(d)

Whoever commits animal neglect must appear at trial, and whoever is guilty of animal neglect shall be fined not more than $500.00 or imprisoned for not more than 30 days, or both. In addition, any person convicted of animal neglect shall be prohibited from owning, possessing, controlling, or having custody of any animal for not less than one year, at the discretion of the court, and upon the court's determination that ownership or possession of an animal by that person would create a threat to the health, safety, or welfare of an animal.

(e)

This section shall not apply to the lawful hunting or trapping of wild animals as provided by law, accepted veterinary practices, accepted livestock and poultry production practices, and activities carried on for scientific or medical research governed by accepted standards, or any other practice listed in R.S. 14:102.1(C), as may be amended.

(Ord. No. 15-12-1125-OR, 12-15-2015)

State law reference

Cruelty to animals; simple and aggravated, R.S. 14:102.1; definitions; cruelty to animals, R.S. 14:102; confined animals; necessary food and water, R.S. 14:102.4; municipal corporations to provide punishment for cruelty to animals, R.S. 3:2392.