Court action for enforcement, when
If a pet breeder or dealer keeps breaking Missouri's animal care laws and doesn't fix the problems, the state can take them to court. A judge can order them to stop and make them pay up to $1,000 for each rule they broke. If someone keeps breaking these rules badly enough to put animals at serious risk, or ignores a court-ordered fix-it plan, that person can be charged with a crime called 'canine cruelty.' That crime is a misdemeanor, but it gets more serious if the person has been found guilty of the same thing before.
Classifications stated in the statute. Actual outcomes vary.
273.347. Court for , when — crime of canine cruelty, . — 1. Whenever the or a state finds past violations of sections 273.325 to 273.357 have occurred and have not been corrected or addressed, including operating without a valid under section 273.327, the may request the or the county or to bring an action in in the county where the violations have occurred for a , , , or a in a circuit court to correct such violations and, in addition, the court may a in an amount not to exceed one thousand dollars for each violation. Each violation shall constitute a separate .
2. A person commits the crime of canine cruelty if such person repeatedly violates sections 273.325 to 273.357 so as to pose a substantial risk to the health and welfare of animals in such person's , or violates an agreed-to remedial order involving the safety and welfare of animals under this section. The crime of canine cruelty is a , unless the person has previously pled guilty or to or been of a violation of this , in which case, each such violation is a .
3. The attorney general or the county prosecuting attorney or circuit attorney may bring an action under sections 273.325 to 273.357 in circuit court in the county where the crime has occurred for criminal punishment.
4. No action under this section shall prevent or action taken under section 578.012 or under subsection 3 of section 273.329.
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Source & history notes
(L. 2011 S.B. 113 & 95, A.L. 2011 S.B. 161) Effective 4-27-11
Legal information, not legal advice. Always confirm with the official source at revisor.mo.gov.