(1) Any person who, with the intent to deprive or defraud the owner thereof, takes, leads away, confines, secretes, or who conceals the identity by obscuring, altering or removing any collar, tag, license, tattoo or other identifying device or mark on any dog or other domestic animal shall be guilty of a gross misdemeanor.

(2) Any person who willfully molests, provokes or mistreats any animal or willfully opens any door or gate or unleashes any animal for the purpose of allowing it to leave its owner’s property or to be at large shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

(3) Any person who shall willfully injure, torture, torment, mutilate, neglect, or deprive of the necessary food or water, or who shall overdrive, overload, overwork, or work when disabled, cruelly beat, mutilate, or cruelly kill any cat, dog or other animal, or cause or procure an animal to be overdriven, overloaded, driven when overloaded, overworked, tortured, tormented, deprived of the necessary food and water, cruelly beaten or killed or who shall kill or wound any domestic animal by use of any gun, club, knife, bow and arrow or other weapon which may be used for the purpose of inflicting injury or death to any such animal, shall be deemed guilty of a gross misdemeanor. Any owner of an injured, ill, malnourished, neglected or mistreated animal shall provide necessary veterinary care or aid of such animal as may be necessary, as determined by the Poundmaster, to provide for the recovery of or relief from unnecessary suffering of the animal.

(4) Any person who shall maliciously kill, maim or disfigure another’s animal, or maliciously administer poison to any such animal, or expose any poisonous substance with intent that the same should be taken by such animal, or commit any other act or omission by which unjustifiable pain, distress, suffering or death is caused or permitted to any animal or animals, whether the acts or omission herein contemplated be committed either maliciously, willfully or negligently, or knowingly permit such act or omission, or shall cause or procure the same to be done shall be deemed guilty of a gross misdemeanor.

(5) It is unlawful for any person to abandon any domestic animal by dropping off or leaving such animal on the street, road or highway, or in any other public place, or on the private property of the owner or another, including unauthorized abandonment at an animal shelter.

(6) This section does not apply to the killing of any animal by a police officer, Animal Control Officer, a licensed veterinarian, the owner of such an animal or a person authorized by him to destroy such animal; provided, however, that the death of such an animal is accomplished in a humane manner and for lawful purpose.

(7) Every person, firm or corporation convicted of violating subsections (1), (3) or (4) of this section shall be punished by a mandatory fine of not less than $500.00 per animal. Conviction under this section does not bar prosecution and conviction under any other section of this code or any other law or ordinance. [Ord. 3870, 2008; Ord. 3326 § 1, 1998; Code 1970 § 8.02.170.]