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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>78164</law_id><section_number>18.2-144</section_number><catch_line>Maiming, killing or poisoning animals, fowl, etc</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>19.2-303.2</reference><reference>19.2-392.12</reference><reference>3.2-6573.1</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="18.2">Crimes and Offenses Generally</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="5">Crimes Against Property</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="7">Damage to and Tampering With Property</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>Except as otherwise provided for by <span class="dictionary">law</span>, if any person maliciously shoot, stab, wound or otherwise cause bodily injury to, or administer poison to or expose poison with <span class="dictionary">intent</span> that it be taken by, any horse, mule, pony, cattle, swine or other livestock of another, with <span class="dictionary">intent</span> to maim, disfigure, disable or kill the same, or if he do any of the foregoing acts to any animal of his own with <span class="dictionary">intent</span> to defraud any insurer thereof, he shall be guilty of a Class 5 <span class="dictionary">felony</span>. If any person do any of the foregoing acts to any fowl or to any companion animal with any of the aforesaid <span class="dictionary">intents</span>, he shall be guilty of a Class 1 <span class="dictionary">misdemeanor</span>, except that any second or subsequent <span class="dictionary">offense</span> shall be a Class 6 <span class="dictionary">felony</span> if the current <span class="dictionary">offense</span> or any previous <span class="dictionary">offense</span> resulted in the death of an animal or the euthanasia of an animal based on the recommendation of a licensed veterinarian upon determination that such euthanasia was necessary due to the condition of the animal, and such condition was a direct result of a violation of this section.</p></section></text><history>Code 1950, &#xA7; 18.1-159; 1960, c. 358; 1964, c. 400; 1975, cc. 14, 15; 1977, c. 598; 1978, c. 559; 1999, c. 620.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
