The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
AB223,1 1Section 1. 173.29 of the statutes is created to read:
AB223,2,5 2173.29 Vicious dogs. (1) Definition. In this section, "serious physical injury"
3means physical injury that creates a substantial risk of death; that causes serious
4disfigurement, protracted impairment of health, or impairment of a bodily organ; or
5that necessitates plastic surgery.
AB223,3,6 6(2) Determination. If a humane officer or law enforcement officer, after
7conducting an investigation, determines that a dog satisfies one of the standards

1under sub. (3), the humane officer or law enforcement officer may issue a written
2order to the owner or custodian of the dog declaring the dog to be vicious for purposes
3of s. 941.292. In the written order, the humane officer or law enforcement officer shall
4notify the owner or custodian of the dog of the incidents that are the basis for the
5investigation. The written order shall include a description of s. 941.292 and of the
6right to a hearing under ch. 68.
AB223,3,8 7(3) Standards. The humane officer or law enforcement officer may determine
8that a dog is vicious if one of the following applies:
AB223,3,109 (a) The dog, without justification, attacked a person and caused serious
10physical injury or death.
AB223,3,1211 (b) The dog has done any of the following on at least 3 occasions, without
12justification:
AB223,3,1313 1. Bitten a person without causing serious physical injury or death.
AB223,3,1514 2. Behaved in a manner that a reasonable person would believe posed a
15significant, imminent threat of serious physical injury or death to a person.
AB223,3,17 16(4) Justification. The humane officer or law enforcement officer may not
17determine that a dog's actions are without justification if any of the following applies:
AB223,3,2018 (a) A person threatened, bitten, or attacked by the dog was committing a crime
19against the owner or custodian of the dog or was committing a willful trespass or
20other tort upon property owned or occupied by the owner or custodian of the dog.
AB223,3,2321 (b) A person threatened, bitten, or attacked by the dog was abusing, assaulting,
22or physically threatening the dog or its offspring or had previously abused,
23assaulted, or physically threatened the dog or its offspring.
AB223,4,3
1(c) The dog was responding to pain or injury or was protecting itself, its
2offspring, another dog living on the same property, its owner or custodian, or a person
3living in the household of its owner or custodian.
AB223,2 4Section 2. 938.3416 of the statutes is created to read:
AB223,4,9 5938.3416 Delinquency adjudication; restriction on possessing certain
6dogs.
Whenever a court adjudicates a juvenile delinquent for an act that if
7committed by an adult in this state would be a serious felony, as defined in s. 941.292
8(1) (b), the court shall inform the juvenile of the requirements and penalties under
9s. 941.292.
AB223,3 10Section 3. 941.292 of the statutes is created to read:
AB223,4,11 11941.292 Possession of certain dogs. (1) Definitions. In this section:
AB223,4,1312 (a) "Confinement term" means a period during which a person is incarcerated
13in prison.
AB223,4,1714 (b) "Serious felony" means a felony under s. 940.01, 940.02, 940.03, 940.05,
15940.19 (2), (4), or (5), 940.225 (1) or (2), 940.31, 943.02, 943.10 (2), 943.23 (1g), 943.32
16(2), 946.43 (1m), 948.02 (1) or (2), 948.025, 948.03 (2) (a) or (c) or (3) (a), 948.05,
17948.08, or 948.30 (2) or a felony violation of ch. 961.
AB223,4,1818 (c) "Vicious dog" means a dog that is determined to be vicious under s. 173.29.
AB223,4,20 19(2) Applicability. A person is subject to the requirements and penalties of this
20section if any of the following applies:
AB223,4,2221 (a) 1. He or she has been convicted of a serious felony in this state and was
22serving a confinement term for that conviction within the preceding 10 years.
AB223,4,2523 2. He or she has been convicted of a crime elsewhere that would be a serious
24felony if committed in this state and was serving a confinement term for that
25conviction within the preceding 10 years.
AB223,5,2
1(b) 1. He or she has been convicted of a serious felony in this state within the
2preceding 10 years.
AB223,5,43 2. Within the preceding 10 years, he or she has been convicted of a crime
4elsewhere that would be a serious felony if committed in this state.
AB223,5,75 (c) 1. He or she is on extended supervision as part of a sentence following a
6conviction for a serious felony or is on parole or probation following a conviction for
7a serious felony.
AB223,5,98 2. He or she is on a supervised status following a conviction for a crime
9elsewhere that would be a serious felony if committed in this state.
AB223,5,1110 (d) He or she has been adjudicated delinquent within the preceding 10 years
11for an act that if committed by an adult in this state would be a serious felony.
AB223,5,1412 (e) He or she has been found not guilty within the preceding 10 years of a
13serious felony, or of a crime elsewhere that would be a serious felony if committed in
14this state, by reason of insanity or mental disease, defect, or illness.
AB223,5,16 15(3) Prohibition. A person specified in sub. (2) may not possess, control, or
16reside with a vicious dog.
AB223,5,18 17(4) Penalties. (a) Except as provided in pars. (b) and (c), whoever violates sub.
18(3) is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
AB223,5,2019 (b) Whoever violates sub. (3) is guilty of a Class I felony if an individual or an
20animal suffers great bodily harm or death as a result of the violation.
AB223,5,2421 (c) Whoever violates sub. (3) is guilty of a Class H felony if an individual suffers
22great bodily harm or death as a result of the violation and the actor knowingly
23allowed the dog to run loose or failed to take steps to keep the dog in an enclosure or
24under control.
AB223,6,2
1(5) Applicability. (a) This section does not apply to any person specified in sub.
2(2) who has received a pardon with respect to the serious felony.
AB223,6,33 (b) Subsection (3) does not apply to a person if any of the following applies:
AB223,6,54 1. Not more than 5 days have elapsed since the person received a written order
5under s. 173.29 declaring the dog vicious.
AB223,6,66 2. A hearing is pending under ch. 68.
AB223,6,10 7(6) Request for exemption. (a) A person specified in sub. (2) may request an
8exemption from the prohibition under sub. (3) by filing a written motion in the circuit
9court for the county in which the person will possess, control, or reside with the
10vicious dog.
AB223,6,1711 (b) A person who files a motion under par. (a) shall send a copy of the motion
12to the district attorney for the county in which the motion is filed. The district
13attorney shall make a reasonable attempt to contact the county sheriff and, if
14applicable, the chief of police of a city, village, or town in the county for the purpose
15of informing the sheriff and the chief of police that the person has made a request for
16an exemption and to solicit from the sheriff and chief of police any information that
17may be relevant to the criteria specified in par. (c) 1. and 2.
AB223,6,1818 (c) A court shall grant a request under par. (a) if all of the following apply:
AB223,6,2019 1. The person has a reasonable need to possess, control, or reside with a vicious
20dog to earn a livelihood or as a condition of employment.
AB223,6,2221 2. Exempting the person from the prohibition under sub. (3) will not endanger
22public safety.
AB223,7,5 23(7) Surrender of vicious dog. A court that sentences a person who is convicted
24of violating sub. (3) may order that the vicious dog that is involved in the violation
25be delivered to the local humane officer or society, to the county or municipal pound,

1or to a law enforcement officer if the court considers the order to be reasonable and
2appropriate. The society, pound, or officer shall release the vicious dog to a person
3other than the person convicted of violating sub. (3) or dispose of the vicious dog in
4a proper and humane manner. The release or disposal shall be in accordance with
5s. 173.23 (1m).
AB223,4 6Section 4. 971.17 (1i) of the statutes is created to read:
AB223,7,107 971.17 (1i) Notice of restrictions on possession of a dog. If the defendant
8under sub. (1) is found not guilty of a serious felony, as defined in s. 941.292 (1) (b),
9by reason of mental disease or defect, the court shall inform the defendant of the
10requirements and penalties under s. 941.292.
AB223,5 11Section 5. 973.0336 of the statutes is created to read:
AB223,7,15 12973.0336 Sentencing; restriction on possession of a dog. Whenever a
13court imposes a sentence or places a defendant on probation for a conviction for a
14serious felony, as defined in s. 941.292 (1) (b), the court shall inform the defendant
15of the requirements and penalties under s. 941.292.
AB223,6 16Section 6. Initial applicability.
AB223,7,1717 (1) Possession of a dog.
AB223,7,1918 (a) In this subsection, "serious felony" has the meaning given in section 941.292
19(1) (b) of the statutes, as created by this act.
AB223,7,2420 (b) The treatment of section 941.292 of the statutes first applies to the
21possession of a dog that occurs on the effective date of this paragraph, but does not
22preclude the counting of an act that was committed before the effective date of this
23paragraph for purposes of determining whether any of the following makes a person
24subject to section 941.292 of the statutes, as created by this act:
AB223,7,25 251. The person has been convicted of a serious felony in this state.
AB223,8,2
12. The person has been convicted of a crime elsewhere that would be a serious
2felony if committed in this state.
AB223,8,4 33. The person has been adjudicated delinquent for an act that if committed by
4an adult in this state would be a serious felony.
AB223,8,6 54. The person has been found not guilty of a serious felony in this state by
6reason of mental disease or defect.
AB223,8,9 75. The person has been found not guilty of or not responsible for a crime
8elsewhere by reason of insanity or mental disease, defect, or illness if the crime would
9be a serious felony in this state.
AB223,8,1210 (2) Information at dispositional hearings. The treatment of section 938.3416
11of the statutes first applies to dispositional hearings that occur on the effective date
12of this subsection.
AB223,8,1513 (3) Information at commitment hearings. The treatment of section 971.17 (1i)
14of the statutes first applies to commitment hearings that occur on the effective date
15of this subsection.
AB223,8,1816 (4) Information at sentencing. The treatment of section 973.0336 of the
17statutes first applies to sentencing proceedings that occur on the effective date of this
18subsection.
AB223,8,1919 (End)
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