ANIMAL PROTECTION LAWS IN CONNECTICUT

ANTI-CRUELTY STATUTE SUMMARY
A person commits the crime of cruelty to animals and/or pets if the person:

Overdrives, overloads, overworks, tortures, deprives of necessary

sustenance, mutilates or cruelly beats or kills or unjustifiably injures any animal

Fails to supply any confined animal with proper care such as wholesome air, food and water

Administers any poisonous or noxious drug or substance

Abandons or carries in a cruel manner

Fights, baits, or harasses an animal for the purpose of making it perform

Intentionally kills any animal while such animal is in the performance of its

duties under the supervision of a peace officer.

�� 53-242 to 53-246. Repealed. (1969, P.A. 828, � 214, eff. Oct. 1, 1971.)

� 53-247. CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.

(Fighting animals. Intentional killing of police animals

or dogs in volunteer canine search and rescue teams)
 

(a) Any person who overdrives, drives when overloaded, overworks, tortures,

deprives of necessary sustenance, mutilates or cruelly beats or kills or unjustifiably

injures any animal, or who, having impounded or confined any animal, fails to give

such animal proper care or neglects to cage or restrain any such animal from doing

injury to itself or to another animal or fails to supply any such animal with wholesome

air, food and water, or unjustifiably administers any poisonous or noxious drug or

substance to any domestic animal or unjustifiably exposes any such drug or substance,

with intent that the same shall be taken by an animal, or causes it to be done, or,

having charge or custody of any animal, inflicts cruelty upon it or fails to provide it

with proper food, drink or protection from the weather or abandons it or carries it or

causes it to be carried in a cruel manner, or fights with or baits, harasses or worries any

animal for the purpose of making it perform for amusement, diversion or exhibition, shall

be fined not more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than one year or both.

(b) Any person who maliciously and intentionally maims, mutilates, tortures, wounds or

kills an animal shall be fined not more than five thousand dollars or imprisoned not more

than five years or both. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to any licensed

veterinarian while following accepted standards of practice of the profession or to

any person while following approved methods of slaughter under section 22-272a,

while performing medical research as an employee of, student in or person associated

with any hospital, educational institution or laboratory, while following generally

accepted agricultural practices or while lawfully engaged in the taking of wildlife.

(c) Any person who knowingly (1) owns, possesses, keeps or trains an animal

engaged in an exhibition of fighting for amusement or gain, (2) possesses, keeps or

trains an animal with the intent that it be engaged in an exhibition of fighting for

amusement or gain, (3) permits an act described in subdivision (1) or (2) of this

subsection to take place on premises under his control, (4) acts as judge or

spectator at an exhibition of animal fighting for amusement or gain, or (5) bets or

wagers on the outcome of an exhibition of animal fighting for amusement or gain,

shall be fined not more than five thousand dollars or imprisoned not more

than five years or both.

(d) Any person who intentionally injures any animal while such animal is in the

performance of its duties under the supervision of a peace officer, as defined in

section 53a-3, or intentionally injures a dog that is a member of a volunteer

canine search and rescue team, as defined in section 5-249, while such dog is

in the performance of its duties under the supervision of the active individual

member of such team, shall be fined not more than five thousand dollars or

imprisoned not more than five years or both.

(e) Any person who intentionally kills any animal while such animal is in the

performance of its duties under the supervision of a peace officer, as defined in

section 53a-3, or intentionally kills a dog that is a member of a volunteer canine

search and rescue team, as defined in section 5-249, while such dog is in the

performance of its duties under the supervision of the active individual member

of such team, shall be fined not more than ten thousand dollars or imprisoned

not more than ten years or both.

CREDIT(S)

(1949 Rev., � 8571; 1971, P.A. 99; 1984, P.A. 84-181; 1989, P.A. 89-121;

1990, P.A. 90-325, � 30, eff. June 6, 1990; 1991, P.A. 91-35, � 3, eff. April 22,

1991; 1993, P.A. 93-36; 1996, P.A. 96-243, � 8, eff. June 6, 1996; 2004,

P.A. 04-241, � 4.)

� 53-248. SALE OR TREATMENT OF ANIMALS UNABLE TO WORK

Any person who sells, offers for sale, trades or gives away any horse for the

purpose of being worked, which could not be worked in this state without

violating the provisions of section 53-247, or any person who leads, rides or

drives an animal on any public highway for any purpose except that of conveying

the animal to a suitable place for its humane keeping or killing or for medical or

surgical treatment, which animal could not be worked in this state without

violating the provisions of said section, shall be fined not more than two hundred

dollars or imprisoned not more than six months or both.

CREDIT(S)

(1949 Rev., � 8572.)

� 53-249. CRUELTY TO POULTRY

Any crate or other container used for the purpose of transporting, shipping or

holding for sale any live poultry shall be in a sanitary condition and shall be

constructed so as to provide sufficient ventilation and warmth, and such poultry,

while in such container, shall receive such reasonable care as may be required to

prevent unnecessary suffering. Any person who violates any provision of this

section shall be fined not more than one hundred dollars or imprisoned not

more than thirty days or both.

CREDIT(S)

(1949 Rev., � 8573.)

� 53-249a. SALE OF DYED FOWL OR RABBITS

Any person who sells or offers for sale at retail or gives away, living chickens,

ducklings, other fowl or rabbits, which have been dyed, colored or otherwise

treated so as to import to them an artificial color, shall be fined not more than

one hundred and fifty dollars.

CREDIT(S)

(1965, Feb.Sp.Sess., P.A. 82, � 1.)

� 53-250. USE OF ANIMALS, REPTILES & BIRDS

Any person who uses any animal, reptile or bird for the purpose of soliciting any

alms, collection, contribution, subscription, donation or payment of money, or uses

any animal or bird as a prize or award in the operation of any game or device,

or exhibits any wild animal in connection with any business for the purpose of

attracting trade upon any street, highway or public park or at any fair, exhibition or

place of amusement, recreation or entertainment, or owns, keeps or has in his

custody any animal, reptile or bird for any such purpose, shall be fined not

more than one hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days or both,

but no provision of this section shall be construed so as to apply to the exhibition

of any animal, reptile or bird by any educational institution or in a zoological

garden or in connection with any theatrical exhibition or circus or to the use of

any animal in a cow-chip raffle.

CREDIT(S)

(1949 Rev., � 8574; 1990, P.A. 90-325, � 31, eff. June 6, 1990; 1991,

P.A. 91-35, � 4, eff. April 22, 1991.)

� 53-251. DOCKING OF HORSES' TAILS

(a) Any person who cuts the bone of the tail of any horse for the purpose of

docking the tail or who cuts the muscles or tendons of the tail of a horse, or

otherwise operates upon it in any manner for the purpose or with the effect of

altering the natural carriage of the tail, or who causes or knowingly permits such

cutting or operation to be done upon premises of which he is the owner, lessee,

proprietor or user, or assists in or is present at such cutting or operation, shall be

fined not more than three hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than one year

or both. Any horse with a tail set or apparently with a tail set shall be accessible

and subject to inspection by any officer or agent of the Connecticut Humane Society.

(b) If a horse is found with the bone, muscles or tendons of its tail so cut and

with the wound resulting from such cutting unhealed upon the premises of any person,

such facts shall be prima facie evidence that the person who occupies or has the

use of the premises on which such horse is so found has committed the offense

described in subsection (a). If a horse is found with the bone, muscles or

tendons of its tail so cut and with the wound resulting from such cutting unhealed

in the charge or custody of any person, such facts shall be prima facie evidence

that the person having the charge or custody of such horse has committed the

offense charged in said subsection (a).

(c) No provision of this section shall be construed to prevent the operation by a

registered veterinarian upon the tail of a horse when such operation is necessary

for the health of the horse or is the means of effecting the natural carriage of its tail.

CREDIT(S)

(1949 Rev., � 8575.)

� 53-252. TRANSPORTATION OF ANIMALS ON RAILROADS

No railroad company, in transporting animals, shall permit them to be confined in

cars more than twenty-eight consecutive hours, except when transported in cars in

which they have proper food, water, space and opportunity for rest, without

unloading them for food, water and rest, for at least five consecutive hours,

unless prevented by storm or other accidental cause; and, in estimating such

confinement, the time during which the animals have been confined, without

such rest, on connecting roads from which they are received, shall be included.

Animals so unloaded shall be properly fed, watered and sheltered during such

rest by the owner or person having their custody or, on his neglect, by the railroad

company transporting them, at his expense; and such company shall, in such case,

have a lien upon such animals for food, care and custody furnished and shall

not be liable for any detention of them for such purpose. Any such company or

the owner or custodian of such animals, who does not comply with the provisions

of this section, shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars. The knowledge

and acts of agents of, and of persons employed by, such company, in regard to

animals transported, owned or employed by it or in its custody, shall be held

to be its acts and knowledge.

CREDIT(S)

(1949 Rev., � 8577.)

� 53-253. NOTICE OF ARREST OF OFFENDER TO BE GIVEN

Any person making an arrest for a violation of the laws relating to cruelty to animals

shall use reasonable diligence to give notice thereof to the owner of animals found

in the charge or custody of the person arrested and shall properly care and provide

for them until their owner takes charge of them, provided the owner shall take

charge of them within sixty days from the date of such notice; and the person making

such arrest shall have a lien on such animals for the expense of such care and provision.

CREDIT(S)

(1949 Rev., � 8578.)

� 53-254. Repealed. (1969, P.A. 828, � 214, eff. Oct. 1, 1971.)