Section 445.01 — Criminal Code: Killing or injuring certain animals

Every one commits an offence who, wilfully and without lawful excuse, kills, maims, wounds, poisons or injures a law enforcement animal while it is aiding a law enforcement officer in carrying out that officer’s duties, a military animal while it is aiding a member of the Canadian Forces in carrying out that member’s duties or a service animal. Every one who commits an offence under subsection (1) is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term of not more than five years and, if a law enforcement animal is killed in the commission of the offence, to a minimum punishment of imprisonment for a term of six months; or an offence punishable on summary conviction and liable to a fine of not more than $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term of not more than two years less a day, or to both. A sentence imposed on a person for an offence under subsection (1) committed against a law enforcement animal shall be served consecutively to any other punishment imposed on the person for an offence arising out of the same event or series of events. The following definitions apply in this section. law enforcement animal means a dog or horse that is trained to aid a law enforcement officer in carrying out that officer’s duties. ( animal d’assistance policière ) law enforcement officer means a police officer, a police constable or any person referred to in paragraph (b), (c.1), (d), (d.1), (e) or (g) of the definition peace officer in section 2. ( agent de contrôle d’application de la loi ) military animal means an animal that is trained to aid a member of the Canadian Forces in carrying out that member’s duties. ( animal d’assistance militaire ) service animal means an animal that is required by a person with a disability for assistance and is certified, in writing, as having been trained by a professional service animal institution to assist a person with a disability. ( animal d’assistance )