S.B. 141, An Act Increasing the Penalty for the Intentional Injury of a Police Animal or Dog in a Volunteer Canine Search and Rescue Team

While no one wants to see any animal injured or killed at the hands of a human, doubling the potential penalty for this category of offense is not the answer.

Under current Connecticut law, a person who intentionally injures or kills a police or search and rescue dog is guilty of a class D felony. Class D felonies are punishable by at least one year and at most five years of incarceration. This is a serious penalty and the current punishment for this offense is equivalent to the penalties for animal cruelty and dog fighting. This bill proposes to increase the penalty for intentionally injuring a police or search and rescue dog to a Class C felony, carrying up to ten years of incarceration.

While no one wants to see any animal injured or killed at the hands of a human, doubling the potential penalty for this category of offense is not the answer.