{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-258.215","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 258.215","heading":"Seizure, impounding, and destruction of dog lacking rabies tag or other","body":"identification -- Holding period before destruction -- Notice to owner --\nReclamation of dog, cat, or ferret -- Fees -- Quarantine -- Exemption of\nhunting dog.\n(1) Peace officers or animal control officers shall seize and impound any dog which\ndoes not bear a valid rabies tag or other legible identification which is found\nrunning at large. Any dog which an officer or animal control officer seizes shall be\nimpounded in the designated animal shelter of the county and confined in a humane\nmanner. If, after a reasonable effort, the seizure of an unrestrained dog cannot be\nmade, or the dog presents a hazard to public safety or property or has an injury or\nphysical condition which causes the dog to suffer, the animal control officer or\npeace officer may immediately destroy the dog by the most reasonable and humane\nmeans then available.\n(2) (a) Impounded dogs shall be kept for not less than five (5) days, unless reclaimed\nby their owners. D ogs not reclaimed and those not placed in suitable new\nhomes may be humanely euthanized after the five (5) day holding period,\nunless the dog has an injury or physical condition which causes it to suffer. In\nthose cases the animal shelter may immediately e uthanize the dog, and if a\nhuman being has been bitten by the dog, the dog shall be tested for rabies.\n(b) If an owner is identified, the impounding agency shall immediately notify the\nowner of the impoundment by the most expedient means available.\n(c) Any animal shelter, public or private, which takes in stray animals and does\nnot have regular hours for public access, shall post semimonthly either in a\nlocal newspaper or the newspaper with the highest circulation in the county,\nthe shelter location, hours of operation, the period that impounded animals\nshall be held, and a contact number.\n(3) Upon reclaiming an impounded dog, cat, or ferret, the owner shall show proof of a\nvalid rabies vaccination. If proof of the vaccination cannot be provided, the owner\nshall purchase a vaccination voucher from the animal shelter. The voucher shall be\nvalid for ten (10) days from the date of issuance and shall be used in the prescribed\ntime period. The animal shelter shall reimburse the veterinarian for the amount of\nthe voucher upon presentation to the shelter by the administering veterinarian.\n(4) The owner of an impounded animal is responsible for all fees associated with the\nimpoundment of the animal. If the owner can be identified, the fees are due even if\nthe owner does not reclaim the animal.\n(5) Dogs, cats, or ferrets which have bitten a person shall be maintained in quarantine\nby the owner for ten (10) days from the date of the bite. Owners who fail to properly\nquarantine their animals shall be subject to a citation  for violation of this subsection\nand the dog, cat, or ferret shall be removed to the animal shelter for the remainder\nof the quarantine period. The owner shall be responsible for all associated fees of\nthe quarantine and impoundment.\n(6) A hound or other hunting dog which has been released from confinement for\nhunting purposes shall be deemed to be under reasonable control of its owner or\nhandler while engaged in or returning from hunting, and, if a hunting dog becomes\ntemporarily lost from a pack or wande rs from actual control or sight of its owner or\nhandler, the owner or handler shall not be deemed to be in violation of the\nprovisions of this section as a result of the dog's having become temporarily lost or\nhaving wandered from immediate control or sight of the owner or handler.","path":["KRS Chapter 258"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=12457","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:53:07Z","sha256":"27cef96c595d75ce410ebd459f264159b67e1834794d2b2acd1a59e39898aa1d","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-258.212","next":"us-ky/krs-258.220"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}