6-5-211. Injuring or killing a police dog, fire dog, search and rescue dog or police horse prohibited; penalties.

(a) Any person who knowingly, willfully and without lawful cause or justification permanently disables or inflicts death upon any animal defined in subsection (b) of this section shall be liable for restitution by order of a court and shall be guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than ten (10) years, a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00), or both.

(b) As used in this section:

(i) "Police dog" means any dog that is owned, or the service of which is employed, by a law enforcement or corrections agency for the principal purpose of aiding in the detection of criminal activity, enforcement of laws or apprehension of offenders;

(ii) "Police horse" means any horse that is owned, or the service of which is employed, by a law enforcement or corrections agency for the principal purpose of aiding in the detection of criminal activity, enforcement of laws or apprehension of offenders;

(iii) "Fire dog" means any dog that is owned, or the service of which is employed, by a fire department, a special fire district or the state fire marshal for the principal purpose of aiding in the detection of flammable materials or the investigation of fires;

(iv) "Search and rescue dog" means any search and rescue dog that is owned, or the service of which is utilized, by a fire department, a law enforcement or corrections agency, a special fire district or the state fire marshal for the principal purpose of aiding in the detection of missing persons, including persons who are lost, who are trapped under debris as a result of a natural, manmade or technological disaster or who are drowning victims.