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Each state, including Indiana, has passed
laws specifically pertaining to animals and their owners. The
following laws apply to Indiana residents and are enforced by local animal
control officers, as well as state and local law enforcement agencies.
Contact your local law enforcement agency or the Gibson County Animal
Services for more information on Indiana animal laws. |
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RUNNING
AT LARGE |
| IC 15-5-9-13 |
It is a Class C
infraction for an owner to allow his dog to stray beyond his premises,
unless under the reasonable control of some person or when engaged in lawful
hunting accompanied by the owner or custodian. |
What this law
means is whether you live in a city, town or rural area, you must keep your
do on your own property, or under your control at all times. This is
better known as the "leash law." |
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ABANDONMENT & NEGLECT |
| IC 35-46-3-7 |
A person having a
vertebrate animal in the persons custody who recklessly, knowingly, or
intentionally abandons or neglects the animal commits cruelty to an animal,
a class B misdemeanor. |
What this law means is a person cannot hurt
or injure an animal by beating, kicking, or any other means of causing pain
or suffering to the animal. Additionally, a person cannot neglect the
animal, such as not treating injuries, allowing an animal to suffer from
lack of medical treatment, not feeding and watering, or not providing proper
shelter. This also means a person cannot abandon any animal, i.e.
taking an animal to a rural area and turning it loose, moving and leaving
any animal behind, or leaving the animal at a veterinarian and not going
back to pick it up. |
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TORTURING, MUTILATION, OR KILLING OF A VERTEBRATE ANIMAL |
| IC 35-46-3-12 |
A person who knowingly
or intentionally: 1) tortures, beats, or mutilates a vertebrate animal
resulting in serious injury or death to the animal; or 2) kills a vertebrate
animal without the authority of the owner of the animal commits cruelty to
an animal, a class A misdemeanor. |
What this law means is a person cannot
inflict injury, including fatal injuries, to an animal. It also means
a person cannot kill an animal by any means without consent of the animal's
owner. |
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HARBORING A NON-IMMUNIZED DOG |
| IC 35-36-3-1 |
A person who knowingly
or intentionally harbors a dog that is over the age of three (3) months and
not immunized against rabies commits harboring a non-immunized dog, a class
C infraction. However, the offense is a class B misdemeanor if the dog
causes bodily injury by biting a person. |
What this law means is every dog over the age
of three months must have a rabies vaccination, administered by a licensed
veterinarian, once each year. |
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BITE
QUARANTINES |
| IAC 410 |
Any
domestic animal which has bitten a person or is suspected of being rabid
shall be confined and held in observation for the period specified in IC
15-2.1-6-11 not less than ten (10) days or killed at once for laboratory
examination. The head of any animal that dies during the period of
observation or is killed subsequent to having bitten a person or another
animal and is suspected of being rabid shall be removed, packed in an iced
container, and forwarded immediately to the laboratory of the State Board of
Health for examination. |
