(1) A licensed veterinarian who, during the course of attending or treating an animal, has reasonable cause to know or suspect that the animal has been subjected to cruelty in violation of section 18-9-202, or subjected to animal fighting in violation of section 18-9-204, shall report or cause a report to be made of the animal cruelty or animal fighting to a local law enforcement agency or the bureau of animal protection.
A licensed veterinarian shall not knowingly make a false report of animal cruelty oranimal fighting to a local law enforcement agency or to the bureau of animal protection.
A licensed veterinarian who willfully violates the provisions of subsection (1) or (2) of this section commits a class 1 petty offense, punishable as provided in section 18-1.3-503.
A licensed veterinarian who in good faith reports a suspected incident of animalcruelty or animal fighting to the proper authorities in accordance with subsection (1) of this section shall be immune from liability in any civil or criminal action brought against the veterinarian for reporting the incident. In any civil or criminal proceeding in which the liability of a veterinarian for reporting an incident described in subsection (1) of this section is at issue, the good faith of the veterinarian shall be presumed.
The veterinary-patient-client privilege described in section 24-72-204 (3)(a)(XIV) may not be asserted for the purpose of excluding or refusing evidence or testimony in a prosecution for an act of animal cruelty under section 18-9-202 or for an act of animal fighting under section 18-9-204.
Source: L. 2019: Entire title R&RE with relocations, (HB 19-1172), ch. 136, p. 1635, § 1, effective October 1.
Editor's note: This section is similar to former § 12-64-121 as it existed prior to 2019.