(a) It is an offense to knowingly and unlawfully cause serious bodily injury to or kill a police dog, fire dog, search and rescue dog, service animal, or police horse without the owner's effective consent.(b)(1) An offense under subsection (a) is a Class D felony.(2) If conduct that is in violation of this section is also a violation of § 39-14-205 or any other criminal offense, the offense may be prosecuted under any of the applicable statutes.(c) A person is justified in killing or injuring the animal of another if the person acted under a reasonable belief that the animal was creating an imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury to that person or another or an imminent danger of death to an animal owned by or in the control of that person. A person is not justified in killing or injuring the animal of another if, at the time of the killing, the person is trespassing upon the property of the owner of the animal. The justification for killing or injuring the animal of another authorized by this subsection (c) does not apply to a person who, while engaging in or attempting to escape from criminal conduct, kills or injures a police dog that is acting in its official another authorized by this subsection (c) does not apply to a person who, while engaging in or attempting to escape from criminal conduct, kills or injures a police dog that is acting in its official capacity. In that case, subsection (a) applies to the person.Added by 2022 Tenn. Acts, ch. 1106, s 2, eff. 7/1/2022.
Tennessee Legal Code