Southaven, MS Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

Section 3-14 of the Southaven Code regulates vicious dogs, and § 3-1 defines them by conduct. A vicious dog is one that has shown a propensity to attack unprovoked, that bites or attacks a person or domestic animal without provocation or chases a person in a menacing manner, or that is owned or trained for dog fighting. The sections read name no breed. No dog is considered vicious if the injury was sustained by a person committing a willful trespass or other tort on the owner's premises, teasing or abusing the dog, or committing a crime, or if the dog was defending a human being from an unjustified attack.

Under § 3-14(a), a vicious dog must be securely confined indoors or in a securely enclosed and childproofed locked pen or structure with secure sides and a secure top. If the pen has no secured bottom, the sides must be embedded in the ground no less than two (2) feet. Section 3-14(b) bars letting the dog leave the premises unless securely leashed and muzzled, and it cannot be leashed to inanimate objects such as trees or buildings. A muzzle is not required at a sanctioned American Kennel Club show or with prior approval of the animal control supervisor. Under § 3-14(c), the dog cannot be kept on a porch or patio, or in a house with open windows or only screens between it and the outside.

Section 3-14(d) requires a prominent sign such as Beware of Dog on the premises and on the kennel or pen. Section 3-14(e) requires $100,000.00 public liability insurance for the owner of a dog that, according to animal control records, seriously injures a person without provocation or aggressively kills a domestic animal, with fifteen (15) days notice of cancellation to the animal control division. Serious injury means two (2) or more sutures or hospitalization. Under § 3-14(g), inspection requires twenty-four (24) hours notice and a police officer present. Section 3-22(b) requires immediate seizure if the insurance, enclosure or muzzle rules are broken. Under § 3-21(b), a dog that aggressively attacks and causes severe injury or death of a human is confiscated, quarantined for ten (10) days, and destroyed.