Ohio § 2921.321

§ 2921.321.

(A) No person shall knowingly cause, or attempt to cause, physical harm to a police dog

or horse in either of the following circumstances: (1) The police dog or horse is assisting a law enforcement officer in the performance

of the officer's official duties at the time the physical harm is caused or attempted. (2) The police dog or horse is not assisting a law enforcement officer in the performance

of the officer's official duties at the time the physical harm is caused or attempted,

but the offender has actual knowledge that the dog or horse is a police dog or horse. (B) No person shall recklessly do any of the following: (1) Taunt, torment, or strike a police dog or horse; (2) Throw an object or substance at a police dog or horse; (3) Interfere with or obstruct a police dog or horse, or interfere with or obstruct a

law enforcement officer who is being assisted by a police dog or horse, in a manner

that does any of the following: (a) Inhibits or restricts the law enforcement officer's control of the police dog or

horse; (b) Deprives the law enforcement officer of control of the police dog or horse; (c) Releases the police dog or horse from its area of control; (d) Enters the area of control of the police dog or horse without the consent of the

law enforcement officer, including placing food or any other object or substance into

that area; (e) Inhibits or restricts the ability of the police dog or horse to assist a law enforcement

officer. (4) Engage in any conduct that is likely to cause serious physical injury or death to

a police dog or horse; (5) If the person is the owner, keeper, or harborer of a dog, fail to reasonably restrain

the dog from taunting, tormenting, chasing, approaching in a menacing fashion or apparent

attitude of attack, or attempting to bite or otherwise endanger a police dog or horse

that at the time of the conduct, the police dog or horse is assisting a law enforcement

officer in the performance of the officer's duties or that the person knows is a police

dog or horse. (C) No person shall knowingly cause, or attempt to cause, physical harm to an assistance

dog in either of the following circumstances: (1) The dog, at the time the physical harm is caused or attempted, is assisting or serving

a person who is blind, deaf, or hearing impaired or a person with a mobility impairment. (2) The dog, at the time the physical harm is caused or attempted, is not assisting or

serving a person who is blind, deaf, or hearing impaired or a person with a mobility

impairment, but the offender has actual knowledge that the dog is an assistance dog. (D) No person shall recklessly do any of the following: (1) Taunt, torment, or strike an assistance dog; (2) Throw an object or substance at an assistance dog; (3) Interfere with or obstruct an assistance dog, or interfere with or obstruct a person

who is blind, deaf, or hearing impaired or a person with a mobility impairment who

is being assisted or served by an assistance dog, in a manner that does any of the

following: (a) Inhibits or restricts the assisted or served person's control of the dog; (b) Deprives the assisted or served person of control of the dog; (c) Releases the dog from its area of control; (d) Enters the area of control of the dog without the consent of the assisted or served

person, including placing food or any other object or substance into that area; (e) Inhibits or restricts the ability of the dog to assist the assisted or served person. (4) Engage in any conduct that is likely to cause serious physical injury or death to

an assistance dog; (5) If the person is the owner, keeper, or harborer of a dog, fail to reasonably restrain

the dog from taunting, tormenting, chasing, approaching in a menacing fashion or apparent

attitude of attack, or attempting to bite or otherwise endanger an assistance dog

that at the time of the conduct is assisting or serving a person who is blind, deaf,

or hearing impaired or a person with a mobility impairment or that the person knows

is an assistance dog. (E)(1) Whoever violates division (A) of this section is guilty of assaulting a police dog

or horse, and shall be punished as provided in divisions (E)(1)(a) and (b) of this

section. (a) Except as otherwise provided in this division, assaulting a police dog or horse is

a misdemeanor of the second degree.  If the violation results in the death of the police dog or horse, assaulting a police

dog or horse is a felony of the third degree and the court shall impose as a mandatory

prison term one of the definite prison terms prescribed in division (A)(3)(b) of section 2929.14 of the Revised Code for a felony of the third degree.  If the violation results in serious physical harm to the police dog or horse other

than its death, assaulting a police dog or horse is a felony of the fourth degree.  If the violation results in physical harm to the police dog or horse other than

death or serious physical harm, assaulting a police dog or horse is a misdemeanor

of the first degree. (b) In addition to any other sanction imposed for assaulting a police dog or horse, if

the violation of division (A) of this section results in the death of the police dog

or horse, the sentencing court shall impose as a financial sanction a mandatory fine

under division (B)(10) of section 2929.18 of the Revised Code .  The fine shall be paid to the law enforcement agency that was served by the police

dog or horse that was killed, and shall be used by that agency only for one or more

of the following purposes: (i) If the dog or horse was not owned by the agency, the payment to the owner of the

dog or horse of the cost of the dog or horse and the cost of the training of the dog

or horse to qualify it as a police dog or horse, if that cost has not previously been

paid by the agency; (ii) After payment of the costs described in division (E)(1)(b)(i) of this section, if

applicable, payment of the cost of replacing the dog or horse that was killed; (iii) After payment of the costs described in division (E)(1)(b)(i) of this section, if

applicable, payment of the cost of training the replacement dog or horse to qualify

it as a police dog or horse; (iv) After payment of the costs described in division (E)(1)(b)(i) of this section, if

applicable, payment of the cost of further training of the replacement dog or horse

that is needed to train it to the level of training that had been achieved by the

dog or horse that was killed. (2) Whoever violates division (B) of this section is guilty of harassing a police dog

or horse.  Except as otherwise provided in this division, harassing a police dog or horse is

a misdemeanor of the second degree.  If the violation results in the death of the police dog or horse, harassing a police

dog or horse is a felony of the third degree.  If the violation results in serious physical harm to the police dog or horse, but

does not result in its death, harassing a police dog or horse, is a felony of the

fourth degree.  If the violation results in physical harm to the police dog or horse, but does not

result in its death or in serious physical harm to it, harassing a police dog or horse

is a misdemeanor of the first degree. (3) Whoever violates division (C) of this section is guilty of assaulting an assistance

dog.  Except as otherwise provided in this division, assaulting an assistance dog is a

misdemeanor of the second degree.  If the violation results in the death of the assistance dog, assaulting an assistance

dog is a felony of the third degree.  If the violation results in serious physical harm to the assistance dog other than

its death, assaulting an assistance dog is a felony of the fourth degree.  If the violation results in physical harm to the assistance dog other than death

or serious physical harm, assaulting an assistance dog is a misdemeanor of the first

degree. (4) Whoever violates division (D) of this section is guilty of harassing an assistance

dog.  Except as otherwise provided in this division, harassing an assistance dog is a

misdemeanor of the second degree.  If the violation results in the death of the assistance dog, harassing an assistance

dog is a felony of the third degree.  If the violation results in serious physical harm to the assistance dog, but does

not result in its death, harassing an assistance dog is a felony of the fourth degree.  If the violation results in physical harm to the assistance dog, but does not result

in its death or in serious physical harm to it, harassing an assistance dog is a misdemeanor

of the first degree. (5) In addition to any other sanction or penalty imposed for the offense under this section,

Chapter 2929., or any other provision of the Revised Code, whoever violates division

(A), (B), (C), or (D) of this section is responsible for the payment of all of the

following: (a) Any veterinary bill or bill for medication incurred as a result of the violation

by the police department regarding a violation of division (A) or (B) of this section

or by the person who is blind, deaf, or hearing impaired or the person with a mobility

impairment assisted or served by the assistance dog regarding a violation of division

(C) or (D) of this section; (b) The cost of any damaged equipment that results from the violation; (c) If the violation did not result in the death of the police dog or horse or the assistance

dog that was the subject of the violation and if, as a result of that dog or horse

being the subject of the violation, the dog or horse needs further training or retraining

to be able to continue in the capacity of a police dog or horse or an assistance dog,

the cost of any further training or retraining of that dog or horse by a law enforcement

officer or by the person who is blind, deaf, or hearing impaired or the person with

a mobility impairment assisted or served by the assistance dog; (d) If the violation resulted in the death of the assistance dog that was the subject

of the violation or resulted in serious physical harm to the police dog or horse or

the assistance dog or horse that was the subject of the violation to the extent that

the dog or horse needs to be replaced on either a temporary or a permanent basis,

the cost of replacing that dog or horse and of any further training of a new police

dog or horse or a new assistance dog by a law enforcement officer or by the person

who is blind, deaf, or hearing impaired or the person with a mobility impairment assisted

or served by the assistance dog, which replacement or training is required because

of the death of or the serious physical harm to the dog or horse that was the subject

of the violation. (F) This section does not apply to a licensed veterinarian whose conduct is in accordance

with Chapter 4741. of the Revised Code. (G) This section only applies to an offender who knows or should know at the time of

the violation that the police dog or horse or assistance dog that is the subject of

a violation under this section is a police dog or horse or an assistance dog. (H) As used in this section: (1) “ Physical harm ” means any injury, illness, or other physiological impairment, regardless of its

gravity or duration. (2) “ Police dog or horse ” means a dog or horse that has been trained, and may be used, to assist law enforcement

officers in the performance of their official duties. (3) “ Serious physical harm ” means any of the following: (a) Any physical harm that carries a substantial risk of death; (b) Any physical harm that causes permanent maiming or that involves some temporary,

substantial maiming; (c) Any physical harm that causes acute pain of a duration that results in substantial

suffering. (4) “Assistance dog,” “blind,” and “person with a mobility impairment” have the same

meanings as in section 955.021 of the Revised Code .