Police Dogs and Horses

2025-2026 Bill 1100: Police Dogs and Horses - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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S. 1100
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Senators Rankin and Adams
Companion/Similar bill(s): 427, 775, 3034
Document Path: SJ-0023MB26.docx
Introduced in the Senate on April 1, 2026
Currently residing in the Senate Committee on
Judiciary
Summary: Police Dogs and Horses
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

4/1/2026

Senate

Introduced and read first time (
Senate Journal-page 15
)

4/1/2026

Senate

Referred to Committee on
Judiciary
(
Senate Journal-page 15
)

4/15/2026

Senate

Committee report: Favorable with amendment
Judiciary
(
Senate Journal-page 45
)

4/29/2026

Senate

Recommitted to Committee on
Judiciary
(
Senate Journal-page 69
)

View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
04/01/2026
04/15/2026

Indicates Matter Stricken

Indicates New Matter

Committee Report

April 15, 2026

S. 1100

Introduced
by Senators Rankin and Adams

S. Printed 4/15/26--S.

Read the first time April 1, 2026

________

The committee on Senate
Judiciary

To whom was referred a Bill (S. 1100) to
amend the South Carolina Code of Laws so as to designate Article 11, Chapter 3,
Title 47 as "teasing, maltreating, and injuring police dogs or horses
prohibited", etc., respectfully

Report:

That they have duly and carefully
considered the same, and recommend that the same do pass with amendment:

Amend
the bill, as and if amended, by striking all after the enacting words and
inserting:

S
ECTION 1.
This act may be cited as "Fargo's, Hyco's, Rico's, Coba's, Wick's,
Mikka's, and Bumi's Law".

S
ECTION
2.
A
rticle 11, Chapter 3, Title 47 of the S.C. Code
is amended to read:

A
rticle 11

T
easing, Maltreating, and Injuring Police Dogs
or Horses
Prohibited

S
ection
47-3-610
.
(
A)
It is unlawful for a person to wilfully and
maliciously taunt, torment, tease, beat, strike, or administer or subject a
desensitizing drug, chemical, or substance to a dog or horse used by a law
enforcement department or agency in the performance of the functions or duties
of the department or agency or when a dog is placed in a kennel off duty or a
horse is placed in a stable off duty, or to interfere or meddle with a dog or
horse used by a law enforcement department or agency in the performance of the
functions or duties of the department or agency.

(
B) A person

who violates a provision of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and,
upon conviction, must be fined not less than two thousand dollars nor more than
five thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

S
ection
47-3-620
.
(
A)
(1)

It is unlawful for a person to wilfully
or
and
maliciously torture,
mutilate, injure, disable, poison, or kill a dog or horse used by a law
enforcement department or agency in the performance of the functions or duties
of the department or when a dog is placed in a kennel off duty or a horse is
placed in a stable off duty. However, a police officer or veterinarian may
perform euthanasia in emergency situations when delay would cause the dog or
horse undue suffering and pain.

(
2) It is unlawful for a person to
wilfully and maliciously shoot into a vehicle or trailer while a police dog or
horse is inside or shoot and hit a police dog or horse while running in pursuit
from a law enforcement department or agency.

(
B) A person who violates a provision
of subsection (A)(1) is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be fined
not less than two thousand dollars nor more than twenty thousand dollars, and
imprisoned for not more than fifteen years. A person who violates a provision
of subsection (A)(2) is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be fined
not less than two thousand dollars nor more than twenty thousand dollars, and
imprisoned for not more than ten years. In addition to any other penalty provided
in this section, the court shall order a person convicted of a violation of
this section to pay restitution to the law enforcement department or agency in
an amount that would cover the full cost of restoring or replacing the animal
that was injured or killed, including all related purchase, training, and
veterinary expenses incurred as a result of the incident.

S
ection
47-3-630
.
A person who violates any of the provisions of
this article, except for Section
47-3-620
, is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon
conviction, must be fined not less than five hundred dollars nor more than one
thousand dollars or imprisoned not less than thirty days nor more than six
months, or both. A person who violates the provisions of Section
47-3-620
is
guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be fined not less than two
thousand dollars nor more than five thousand dollars and imprisoned not less than
one year nor more than five years.
Nothing in this
article may be construed to deny a person the right to assert the legal defense
of self-defense.

S
ection
47-3-640
. A law enforcement officer,
including an officer of the State Law Enforcement Division, who engages a
police dog and the police dog bites a person, must maintain a report with a
detailed account of the incident, which must include the injured person's race,
gender, images of the bite, as well as the outcome of the case, all of which
are subject to the provisions of Chapter 4, Title 30, the Freedom of
Information Act.

S
ECTION 3. The repeal or amendment by this act
of any law, whether temporary or permanent or civil or criminal, does not
affect pending actions, rights, duties, or liabilities founded thereon, or
alter, discharge, release or extinguish any penalty, forfeiture, or liability
incurred under the repealed or amended law, unless the repealed or amended
provision shall so expressly provide. After the effective date of this
act, all laws repealed or amended by this act must be taken and treated as
remaining in full force and effect for the purpose of sustaining any pending or
vested right, civil action, special proceeding, criminal prosecution, or appeal
existing as of the effective date of this act, and for the enforcement of
rights, duties, penalties, forfeitures, and liabilities as they stood under the
repealed or amended laws.

SECTION 4. This act takes effect upon
approval by the Governor.

Renumber sections to conform.

Amend title to conform.

LUKE RANKIN for
Committee.

_______

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS SO AS TO
DESIGNATE ARTICLE 11, CHAPTER 3, TITLE 47 AS "TEASING, MALTREATING, AND
INJURING POLICE DOGS OR HORSES PROHIBITED"; BY AMENDING SECTION
47-3-610
,
RELATING TO UNLAWFUL TO TAUNT, TORMENT, TEASE, BEAT, STRIKE, OR ADMINISTER
DESENSITIZING DRUG TO POLICE DOG OR HORSE, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT A VIOLATION OF
THIS SECTION IS A MISDEMEANOR AND, UPON CONVICTION, A PERSON MUST BE FINED NOT
LESS THAN TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS NOR MORE THAN FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS OR IMPRISONED
NOT LESS THAN THIRTY DAYS NOR MORE THAN FIVE YEARS OR BOTH; BY AMENDING SECTION
47-3-620
, RELATING TO UNLAWFUL TO TORTURE, MUTILATE, INJURE, DISABLE, POISON,
OR KILL POLICE DOG OR HORSE, SO AS TO INCLUDE SHOOTING INTO A VEHICLE OR
TRAILER WHILE A DOG OR HORSE IS INSIDE, AND SHOOTING AND HITTING A POLICE DOG
OR HORSE WHILE RUNNING IN PURSUIT, AND TO PROVIDE THAT A VIOLATION IS A FELONY
AND, UPON CONVICTION, THE PENALTY IS NOT LESS THAN TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS NOR
MORE THAN TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS AND IMPRISONMENT FOR NOT LESS THAN TWO YEARS
NOR MORE THAN TEN YEARS, AND TO REQUIRE RESTITUTION TO THE LAW ENFORCEMENT
DEPARTMENT OR AGENCY; AND BY AMENDING SECTION
47-3-630
, RELATING TO PENALTIES,
SO AS TO ESTABLISH NOTHING IN THIS SECTION DENIES A RIGHT TO ASSERT A LEGAL
DEFENSE OF SELF-DEFENSE.

B
e it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

S
ECTION
1. The existing provisions of Article 11, Chapter 3, Title 47 are designated
as "Teasing, Maltreating, and Injury Police Dogs or Horses Prohibited".

S
ECTION
2.
S
ections
47-3-610
through
47-3-630
of the S.C.
Code are amended to read:

S
ection
47-3-610
.
(
A)
It is unlawful for a person to wilfully and
maliciously taunt, torment, tease, beat, strike, or administer or subject a
desensitizing drug, chemical, or substance to a dog or horse used by a law
enforcement department or agency in the performance of the functions or duties
of the department or agency or when a dog is placed in a kennel off duty or a
horse is placed in a stable off duty, or to interfere or meddle with a dog or
horse used by a law enforcement department or agency in the performance of the
functions or duties of the department or agency.

(
B) A person who violates a provision
of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined
not less than two thousand dollars nor more than five thousand dollars or
imprisoned not less than thirty days nor more than five years, or both.

S
ection
47-3-620
.
(
A)
It is unlawful for a person to wilfully or maliciously

shoot into a vehicle or trailer while a police dog or
horse is inside, shoot and hit a police dog or horse while running in pursuit,
torture,
mutilate, injure, disable, poison, or kill a dog or horse used by a law
enforcement department or agency in the performance of the functions or duties
of the department or when a dog is placed in a kennel off duty or a horse is
placed in a stable off duty. However, a police officer or veterinarian may
perform euthanasia in emergency situations when delay would cause the dog or
horse undue suffering and pain.

(
B) A person who violates a provision
of this section is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be fined not
less than two thousand dollars nor more than twenty thousand dollars, and
imprisoned for not less than two years nor more than ten years.

(
C) In addition to any other penalty
provided in this section, the court must order a person convicted of a
violation of this section to pay restitution to the law enforcement department
or agency in an amount that would cover the full cost of restoring or replacing
the animal that was injured or killed, including all related purchase,
training, and veterinary expenses incurred as a result of the incident.

S
ection
47-3-630
.
A person who violates any of the provisions of
this article, except for Section
47-3-620
, is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon
conviction, must be fined not less than five hundred dollars nor more than one
thousand dollars or imprisoned not less than thirty days nor more than six
months, or both. A person who violates the provisions of Section
47-3-620
is
guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be fined not less than two
thousand dollars nor more than five thousand dollars and imprisoned not less than
one year nor more than five years.
Nothing in this
article may be construed to deny a person the right to assert the legal defense
of self-defense.

S
ECTION 3. The repeal or amendment by this act
of any law, whether temporary or permanent or civil or criminal, does not affect
pending actions, rights, duties, or liabilities founded thereon, or alter,
discharge, release or extinguish any penalty, forfeiture, or liability incurred
under the repealed or amended law, unless the repealed or amended provision
shall so expressly provide. After the effective date of this act, all
laws repealed or amended by this act must be taken and treated as remaining in
full force and effect for the purpose of sustaining any pending or vested
right, civil action, special proceeding, criminal prosecution, or appeal
existing as of the effective date of this act, and for the enforcement of
rights, duties, penalties, forfeitures, and liabilities as they stood under the
repealed or amended laws.

S
ECTION 4. This act takes effect upon approval
by the Governor.

----XX----

This web page was last updated on April 15, 2026 at 8:45 PM