{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-4-4-41","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 4, § 4-41","heading":"Animals chasing or injuring livestock - Right to kill -","body":"Liability of owner - Warrantless seizure - Court proceedings -\n\nDefinitions.\n\nA. It shall be lawful for a person to kill any animal of the\n\nfamily canidae or the family felidae found chasing livestock off the\n\npremises of the owner of the animal if the person is the owner or\n\noccupant of the property on which the animal is chasing the\n\nlivestock or if the person is authorized to kill such an animal by\n\nthe owner or occupant of such property.\n\nB. The owner of any animal of the family canidae or the family\n\nfelidae that kills or injures any livestock shall be jointly and\n\nseverally liable to any person so damaged, to the full amount of the\n\ninjury done and damages caused, including reasonable attorney fees\n\nand litigation expenses.\n\nC. 1. Any animal control officer or any municipal, county or\n\nstate law enforcement officer may seize a potentially dangerous dog\n\nwithout a warrant:\n\na. if the dog is continuing to run at large at the time of\n\nthe seizure,\n\nb. if the officer has probable cause to believe the dog is\n\na dangerous dog and the threat to the health, safety\n\nand welfare of livestock or persons is of a continuing\n\nnature under the circumstances, or\n\nc. pursuant to Section 47 of this title.\n\n2. Any animal seized pursuant to this subsection shall be held\n\nby the appropriate animal control authority until the appropriate\n\nterms and conditions of release necessary to protect the health,\n\nsafety and welfare of livestock and persons with whom the dangerous\n\ndog may come in contact are established by the supervisor of the\n\nanimal control authority or a court of competent jurisdiction and\n\nagreed to by the owner.\n\nD. 1. Upon commencement of any civil action to assess damages\n\npursuant to this section, the court upon its own motion, or upon a\n\nmotion by the plaintiff, and with notice to the defendant, and after\n\na hearing thereon, may issue an order requiring seizure of a dog if\n\nthe court has found probable cause to believe:\n\na. the dog is a potentially dangerous dog and the threat\n\nto the health, safety and welfare of livestock or\n\npersons is of a continuing nature under the\n\ncircumstances, or\n\nb. the dog will be adjudicated a common nuisance pursuant\n\nto subsection G of this section.\n\n2. Any dog seized pursuant to this subsection shall be held by\n\nthe appropriate animal control authority until conclusion of the\n\ncivil action or until the court enters an order prescribing the\n\nappropriate terms and conditions of release necessary to protect the\n\nhealth, safety and welfare of livestock and persons with whom the\n\nanimal may come in contact.\n\nE. The cost for the seizure and confinement of an animal as\n\nauthorized by subsection C or D of this section shall be borne by\n\nthe owner of the animal. However, in any civil action filed\n\npursuant to this section, if the owner of the animal is the\n\nprevailing party, such costs shall be taxed in the case against the\n\nnonprevailing party.\n\nF. Nothing in this section shall be interpreted so as to\n\nrequire any municipality or county to:\n\n1. Operate or maintain an animal welfare facility; or\n\n2. Accept or hold any seized animal from a municipal, county or\n\nstate law enforcement officer, other than its own.\n\nG. The court, before whom a recovery is had for any injury or\n\ndamages as set forth in this section, shall declare the animal found\n\nto have occasioned the injury to be a common nuisance, and order the\n\ndefendant to kill or cause to be killed, such animal within twenty-\n\nfour (24) hours after the rendition of the judgment. Appeals shall\n\nbe allowed in all such cases. Any appeals shall be prosecuted in a\n\nmanner as prescribed by general statutes governing appeals.\n\nH. The provisions of Sections 45, 46 and 47 of this title shall\n\nalso apply to a dangerous dog as defined in subsection I of this\n\nsection.\n\nI. For purposes of this section:\n\n1. \"Livestock\" means any cattle, bison, hog, sheep, goat,\ndition of the judgment. Appeals shall\n\nbe allowed in all such cases. Any appeals shall be prosecuted in a\n\nmanner as prescribed by general statutes governing appeals.\n\nH. The provisions of Sections 45, 46 and 47 of this title shall\n\nalso apply to a dangerous dog as defined in subsection I of this\n\nsection.\n\nI. For purposes of this section:\n\n1. \"Livestock\" means any cattle, bison, hog, sheep, goat,\n\nequine, domesticated rabbits, chicken or other poultry and shall\n\ninclude exotic livestock;\n\n2. \"Exotic livestock\" means commercially raised exotic\n\nlivestock including animals of the families bovidae, cervidae and\n\nantilocapridae or birds of the ratite group;\n\n3. \"Potentially dangerous dog\" means any dog that, while the\n\ndog was allowed to run at large off the property of the owner, when\n\nunprovoked, on more than one occasion, was found to be chasing or\n\naggressively creating a substantial threat to the health, safety and\n\nwelfare of livestock or persons;\n\n4. \"Dangerous dog\" means any dog that, while the dog was\n\nallowed to run at large off the property of the owner:\n\na. when unprovoked, killed or injured livestock, or\n\nb. has been previously found to be a potentially dangerous\n\ndog, the owner having received notice of such by the\n\nanimal control authority in writing, and continues to be\n\nfound chasing or aggressively creating a substantial\n\nthreat to the health, safety and welfare of livestock or\n\npersons;\n\n5. \"Animal control authority\" means the same as defined in\n\nSection 44 of this title;\n\n6. \"Animal control officer\" means the same as defined in\n\nSection 44 of this title; and\n\n7. \"Owner\" means the same as defined in Section 44 of this\n\ntitle.","path":["OK Code","Title 4"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os4.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"2c279e4d03da813e93a21b1eb5a95be96753d6c57f7e6e0cc259f5458ecad955","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-4-4-402","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-4-4-42.1"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}