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It shall be the duty of any animal control officer or other officer who may find a hybrid canine in the act of killing or injuring livestock or poultry to kill such hybrid canine forthwith, whether such hybrid canine bears a tag or not. Any person finding a hybrid canine committing any of the depredations mentioned in this section may kill such hybrid canine on sight as may any owner of livestock or his agent finding a hybrid canine chasing livestock on land lawfully utilized by the livestock when the circumstances show that such chasing is harmful to the livestock. Any court may order the animal control officer or other officer to kill any hybrid canine known to be a confirmed livestock or poultry killer, and any hybrid canine that kills poultry for a third time shall be considered a confirmed poultry killer. The court, through its contempt powers, may compel the owner, custodian, or harborer of the hybrid canine to produce the hybrid canine. Any animal control officer who has reason to believe that any hybrid canine is killing livestock or poultry shall be empowered to seize such hybrid canine solely for the purpose of examining such hybrid canine in order to determine whether it committed any of the depredations mentioned herein. Any animal control officer or other person who has reason to believe that any hybrid canine is killing livestock, or committing any of the depredations mentioned in this section, shall apply to a magistrate serving the locality where such hybrid canine may be, who shall issue a warrant requiring the owner or custodian, if known, to appear before a general district court, at which time evidence shall be heard. If it appears that the hybrid canine is a livestock killer, or has committed any of the depredations mentioned in this section, the district court shall order that the hybrid canine be: (i) killed immediately by the animal control officer or other officer designated by the court; or (ii) removed to another state that does not border on the Commonwealth and prohibited from returning to the Commonwealth. Any hybrid canine ordered removed from the Commonwealth that is later found in the Commonwealth shall be ordered by a court to be killed immediately. 1997, c. 918 , § 3.1-796.126:10; 1998, c. 918 ; 2008, cc. 918 , 918 , 918 .
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