§102.14.  Unlawful ownership of dangerous dog

A.  For the purposes of this Section "dangerous dog" means:

(1)  Any dog which when unprovoked, on two separate occasions within the prior thirty-six-month period, engages in any behavior that requires a defensive action by any person to prevent bodily injury when the person and the dog are off the property of the owner of the dog; or

(2)  Any dog which, when unprovoked, bites a person causing an injury; or

(3)  Any dog which, when unprovoked, on two separate occasions within the prior thirty-six-month period, has killed, seriously bitten, inflicted injury, or otherwise caused injury to a domestic animal off the property of the owner of the dog.

B.  It is unlawful for any person to own a dangerous dog without properly restraining or confining the dog.

C.  A dangerous dog, while on the owner's property, shall, at all times, be kept indoors, or in a secure enclosure.  A dangerous dog may be off the owner's property only if it is restrained by a leash which prevents its escape or access to other persons.

D.  The owner of a dog determined by the court to be dangerous shall post signs around the secure enclosure no more than thirty feet apart and at each normal point of ingress and egress.  The signs shall bear the words "Beware of Dog", or "Dangerous Dog" in letters at least three and one-half inches high and shall be so placed as to be readily visible to any person approaching the secure enclosure.

E.  If the dog in question dies, or is sold, transferred, or permanently removed from the municipality or parish where the owner  resides, the owner of a dangerous dog shall notify the animal control agency of the changed condition and new location of the dog in writing within two days.

F.  Whoever violates the provisions of this Section shall be fined not more than three hundred dollars.

G.  The provisions of this Section shall not apply to:

(1)  Any dog which is owned, or the service of which is employed, by any state or local law enforcement agency for the principal purpose of aiding in the detection of criminal activity, enforcement of laws, or apprehension of offenders.

(2)  Any dog trained in accordance with the standards of a national or regional search and rescue association to respond to instructions from its handler in the search and rescue of lost or missing individuals and which dog, together with its handler, is prepared to render search and rescue services at the request of law enforcement.

Acts 2001, No. 823, §1.