Idaho Dog Laws: Rabies, Dog Bites, Abandonment, and Cruelty

What are the dog laws in Idaho? Does Idaho have dog laws? If you live in this state, you might be wondering what the law says about issues like rabies vaccination, dog bites, dog abandonment, or dog cruelty.

Read on for more information about dog laws in Idaho.

In Idaho, there is actually no required vaccination for resident animals. However, animals imported into the state that are over 12 weeks of age must receive a vaccine for rabies. Even though it isn’t technically illegal to not vaccinate your pet in Idaho, it’s strongly recommended that you do. There is no cure for rabies, and any unvaccinated pet bitten by a rabid animal will have to be euthanized. Additionally, while there is no state law requiring it, some specific counties do require rabies vaccinations. Your pet may also require a rabies vaccine to enter certain spaces — pet stores, dog parks, and so on.

Idaho is as a “one-bite” state. This means that on a dog’s first bite innocent, the owner is usually not held liable under the presumption that they did not have knowledge of the dog’s aggressive behavior. There are exceptions in these cases. For example, a severe attack or mauling is likely subject to prosecution even if the dog in question had not been previously aggressive. Additionally, if there was reason to suspect the dog was dangerous – past behavior such as snapping, growling, and so on — the owner may still be liable.

There are cases where dogs will not be considered aggressors in attacks, even if previously proven to be dangerous.

Dog owners are not responsible for attacks in which the “victim” provokes the dog and/or the dog protects the owner. This could include yelling at, hitting, or throwing objects at the dog. If you are trespassing on private property and then an otherwise contained dog attacks you, the dog’s owner would not be liable.

Additionally, in some cases, there may be a “common sense” prohibition on finding a dog owner liable. For example, most people know to leave an eating dog or a mother with puppies alone. Bothering an animal when you could predict aggressive behavior will not always result in liability for the owner.

A dangerous dog, particularly a repeat offender, may face euthanasia if this is determined to be in the best interest of the safety of the community. After one documented bite, a dog is “vicious” in the state of Idaho. This means that subsequent bites may lead to euthanasia. Additionally, a severe enough attack could lead the court to determine euthanasia is the best course of action even for a first offender.

In Idaho, animal abandonment is prohibited by law. Animal abandonment is always dangerous to animals and people that may encounter them. It’s always better to surrender a pet to a shelter or rescue if you cannot keep them. According to Section 25-3502 of Idaho State Legislature, “‘Abandon’ means to completely forsake and desert an animal previously under the custody or possession of a person without making reasonable arrangements for its proper care, sustenance and shelter.”

In Idaho, animal cruelty is most often a Class A misdemeanor. Animal cruelty can have serious consequences. Even first offenders can face jail time and large fines. Consequently, repeat offenders face harsher sentencing. A third offense of animal cruelty in Idaho is a felony. Unfortunately, unlike most states, aggravated animal cruelty rarely carries harsher charges in Idaho. This means that maiming or killing an animal would rarely result in more time served than a case of animal neglect.

As in the other 49 states, dogfighting is a felony in Idaho. This doesn’t apply only to those directly fighting their animals. Charges can also occur for those betting on or attending dogfights in Idaho.

Somewhat controversially, Idaho currently does not restrict tethering. Some counties may have individual ordinances dictating proper tethering, however. Without proper restrictions, tethering can be dangerous to dogs. As a rule of thumb, provide tethered dogs with accessible shelter, at least ten feet of clean and maintained space, and never tether to a collar that could potentially choke or strangle the dog. Additionally, tethered dogs should never be left outside during severe weather. While there aren’t specific restrictions on tethering in Idaho, performing any cruel or neglectful actions to a tethered dog could still result in animal cruelty charges.

Idaho is ranked as a “bottom-tier” state for animal protection laws by the Animal Legal Defense Fund. Out of all 50 states, Idaho comes in at an uncomfortable 47. Clearly, that means Idaho has some room for improvement.  There’s a lot of reasons as to why Idaho ranks so low for animal welfare. One of the biggest concerns is that Idaho does little to define proper care standards for animals by law. Of course, this leads to many cases of improper care being impossible to prosecute, as there is no reasonable standard set for animal care.