(a) No person shall maliciously or willfully kill or injure a dog, cat, or any other domesticated animal, unless such act is to protect the public or themselves from serious injury.
(b) No person shall maliciously or willfully administer poison to a dog, cat, or any other domestic animal that is the property of another; and no person shall, willfully, place any poisoned food where it may be easily found and eaten by any such animal, either upon his or her own lands or the lands of another.
(c) No person shall:
(1) Torture an animal, deprive one (1) of necessary sustenance, unnecessarily or cruelly beat, needlessly mutilate or kill, or impound or confine an animal without supplying it during the confinement with a sufficient quantity of good wholesome food and water;
(2) Commit an act of cruelty against an animal;
(3) Impound or confine an animal without affording it, during the confinement, access to shelter from wind, rain, snow, heat, cold or excessive direct sunlight, if it can reasonably be expected that the animal would otherwise become sick or in some other way suffer. For the purpose of this section, "shelter" means an artificially made enclosure, windbreak;
(4) Carry or convey an animal in a cruel or inhumane manner.
(d) Whoever violates division (a) or (c) of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree. Whoever violates division (b) of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree.
(e) As used in this section, "cruelty," "torment," and "torture" shall have the same meaning as in R.C. § 1717.01.
(f) This section does not apply to the lawful practice of veterinary medicine by a person who has been issued a license, temporary permit, or registration certificate to do so under R.C. Chapter 4741 nor misdemeanor.
(Ord. 76-96. Passed 6-10-96; Ord. 72-03. Passed 9-8-03; Ord. 08-2020. Passed 1-27-20.)