Nebraska Animal Cruelty and Neglect Statute Statewide

Abandonment; cruel neglect; harassment of a police animal; penalty. (1) A person who intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly abandons or cruelly neglects an animal is guilty of a Class I misdemeanor unless the abandonment or cruel neglect results in serious injury or illness or death of the animal, in which case it is a Class IV felony. (2)(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b) of this subsection, a person who cruelly mistreats an animal is guilty of a Class I misdemeanor for the first offense and a Class IIIA felony for any subsequent offense. (b) A person who cruelly mistreats an animal is guilty of a Class IIIA felony if such cruel mistreatment involves the knowing and intentional torture, repeated beating, or mutilation of the animal. (3) A person commits harassment of a police animal if he or she knowingly and intentionally teases or harasses a police animal in order to distract, agitate, or harm the police animal for the purpose of preventing such animal from performing its legitimate official duties. Harassment of a police animal is a Class IV misdemeanor unless the harassment is the proximate cause of the death of the police animal, in which case it is a Class IIIA felony. (4) A person convicted of a Class I misdemeanor under this section may also be subject to section 28-1019 . A person convicted of a felony under this section shall also be subject to section 28-1019 . Source Laws 1990, LB 50, § 2; Laws 1995, LB 283, § 3; Laws 2002, LB 82, § 6;