{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-258.235","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 258.235","heading":"Authority to kill or seize dog -- Return by court to owner of vicious dog --","body":"Liability for damage -- Proceeding by person attacked by dog -- Disposition of\ndog after seizure -- Powers of animal control officer -- Vicious dog not to run at\nlarge.\n(1) Any person, without liability, may kill or seize any dog which is observed attacking\nany person.\n(2) Any livestock owner or his agent, without liability, may kill any dog trespassing on\nthat owner's property and observed in the act of pursuing or wounding his livestock.\n(3) Any dog determined to be vicious by a court and allowed to be returned to an owner\nshall be confined in a locked enclosure at least seven (7) feet high or a locked\nkennel run with a secured top. The dog may leave the enclosure only to vis it the\nveterinarian or to be turned in to an animal shelter. The dog shall be muzzled if\nleaving the enclosure for either of these purposes.\n(4) Any owner whose dog is found to have caused damage to a person, livestock, or\nother property shall be responsible for that damage.\n(5) (a) Any person who has been attacked by a dog, or anyone acting on behalf of that\nperson, may make a complaint before the district court, charging the owner or\nkeeper of the dog with harboring a vicious dog. A copy of the complaint shall\nbe served upon the person so charged in the same manner and subject to the\nlaws regulating the service of summons in civil actions directing him to\nappear for a hearing of the complaint at a time fixed in the complaint. If the\nperson fails to appear at the time fixed, or if upon a hearing of the parties and\ntheir witnesses, the court finds the person so charged is the owner or keeper of\nthe dog in question, and that the dog has viciously and without cause, attacked\na human being when off the premises of the owner or keeper, the person shall\nbe subject to the penalties set forth in KRS 258.990(3)(b), and the court shall\nfurther order the owner or keeper to keep the dog securely confined as\nprovided by subsection (3) of this section, or the court may order the dog to be\ndestroyed.\n(b) The animal control officer shall act as an officer of the court for the\nenforcement of any orders of the court in his jurisdiction pertaining to this\nsubsection.\n(6) For his services in the proceedings, a peace officer shall  be entitled to the same fees\nto which he is entitled for performing similar services in civil cases. In all\nproceedings under this section, the court shall place the costs upon either party as it\nmay determine.\n(7) It shall be unlawful for the owner or ke eper of any vicious dog, after receiving an\norder under subsection (5) of this section, to permit the dog to run at large, or to\nappear in public except as provided in subsection (3) of this section. Any vicious\ndog found running at large may be killed by any animal control officer or peace\nofficer without liability for damages for the killing.","path":["KRS Chapter 258"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=12461","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:53:07Z","sha256":"22c55b25c4948900d5af32e026640fef997895f9940a6893db7295bd5745032f","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-258.230","next":"us-ky/krs-258.240"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}