{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-525.135","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 525.135","heading":"Torture of dog or cat.","body":"(1) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:\n(a) \"Torture\" means the intentional infliction of or subjection to extreme physical\npain or serious injury or death to a dog or cat, motivated by intent or wanton\ndisregard that causes, increases, or prolongs the pain or suffering of the dog or\ncat, including serious physical injury or infirmity. \"Torture\" shall include\nsituations where the extreme physical pain, serious physical injury or\ninfirmity, or death results from restraint of the dog o r cat, which may include\nbeing:\n1. Locked in a cage or kennel;\n2. Sealed in a plastic bag or box;\n3. Chained or tied down to restrict motion;\n4. Pitched in a dumpster;\n5. Abandoned in a building for three (3) days or more with no intention of\nreturning or having made provisions for the animal's care;\n6. Physically restrained with tie wraps, rope, chains, or tape;\n7. Intentionally injured to cause immobility so that the animal cannot save\nitself from starvation, dehydration, physical impairment, serious\nphysical injury or infirmity, or death; or\n8. Manually restrained; and\n(b) \"Serious physical injury or infirmity\" mea ns physical injury or physical\ninfirmity that creates a substantial risk of death, protracted loss, or impairment\nof the function of the limb or bodily organ caused by willful or wanton\ndisregard while restrained. As used in this paragraph:\n1. \"Physical in firmity\" includes intentional starvation, dehydration,\nhypothermia, hyperthermia, muscle atrophy, restriction of blood flow to\na limb or organ, mange or other skin disease or parasitic infestation for\nwhich medical care has been denied, denial of life -saving medical care\nor professional euthanasia while intentionally restraining with the intent\nto cause or the wanton disregard for extreme physical pain, serious\ninjury, or death; and\n2. \"Physical injury\" includes substantial physical pain, serious injury, or\ndeath intentionally caused by fractures, cuts, burns, punctures, bruises\ndue to crushing, burning, drowning, beating, poisoning, suffocating,\nhanging, impaling or skinning alive, physical disfigurement, loss of\nfunction of a limb or body organ or other wo unds or illnesses produced\nby violence or a thermal or chemical agent while intentionally restrained\nwith the intent to cause or the wanton disregard for extreme physical\npain, serious injury, or death.\n(2) A person is guilty of torture of a dog or cat whe n he or she, without legal\njustification, intentionally tortures a domestic dog or cat.\n(3) Torture of a dog or cat is a Class D felony.\n(4) Each act of torture of a dog or cat may constitute a separate offense.\n(5) Under recommendation of a veterinarian, a tortured dog or cat may be humanely\neuthanized after it is seized if it is still alive but suffering from the intentional\ntorture that will lead to its death.\n(6) Nothing in this section shall apply to the killing or injuring of a dog or cat without\nintent to cause, or without wanton disregard of, increasing or prolonging the pain,\nsuffering, or death of the dog or cat:\n(a) In accordance with a license to hunt, fish, or trap;\n(b) For humane purposes;\n(c) For veterinary, agricultural, spaying or neutering,  or cosmetic purposes or\nbreed-specific alterations such as cropping of ears, docking of tails, or\ndeclawing of a cat, all done by a veterinarian;\n(d) For purposes relating to sporting activities including but not limited to\ntraining for organized dog or cat shows, or other animal shows in which a dog\nor a cat, or both, participate;\n(e) For bona fide animal research activities, using dogs or cats, of institutions of\nhigher education; or a business entity registered with the United States\nDepartment of Agric ulture under the Animal Welfare Act or subject to other\nfederal laws governing animal research;\n(f) In defense of self or another person against an aggressive or diseased dog or\ncat;\n(g) In defense of a domestic animal against an aggressive or diseased dog or cat;\n(h) For animal or pest control; or\n(i) For any other purpose authorized by law.\n(7) Activities of animals engaged in hunting, field trials, dog training other than\ntraining a dog to fight for pleasure or profit, and other activities authorized either by\na hunting license or by the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources shall not\nconstitute a violation of this section.\n(8) The acts specified in this section shall not constitute cruelty to animals under KRS\n525.125 or 525.130.","path":["KRS Chapter 525"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=54936","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T21:00:04Z","sha256":"b3335c37dcc54803c7407ed1ec00285094ad410de5b7666d7cfe1fbe3caef3dd","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-525.130","next":"us-ky/krs-525.137"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}