Dangerous Animals
OverviewCentennial Animal Services (CAS) is responsible to protect and preserve public health and safety as it pertains to domestic animals. CAS carries out these responsibilities by monitoring all animal bites to humans as well as thoroughly investigating all reports of dangerous and potentially dangerous animals.
C.M.C § 7-7-310. Reporting Bites and Confinement
Animal bites, especially dog and cat bites, occur frequently and can be a serious public health problem. Regardless of the extent of injuries, if the skin of the person that has been bitten is broken, the bite must be reported to CAS. Animals involved in bites to humans will be quarantined. The purpose of the quarantine is to monitor the animal’s health for warning signs that the animal may have transmitted the rabies virus to the person that was bitten.
C.M.C. §7-7-420. Dangerous and Potentially Dangerous Animals: Dangerous and potentially dangerous animals can cause physical and psychological trauma to humans, localized infection of the bite wound, permanent scarring or disfigurement and, in extreme cases, even death.
“ Dangerous Animal” means any animal that:
- Causes serious bodily injury to any person or domestic animal; or
- Has been designated previously as a “potentially dangerous animal” and has engaged in subsequent behavior that poses a threat to public safety or the conditions for keeping a potentially dangerous animal has been violated; or
- Engages in or has been trained for animal fighting as described in C.R.S. Section 18-9-204.
“Potentially Dangerous Animal” means any animal that may be a threat to public safety as demonstrated by any of the following behaviors:
- Causes injury less than serious bodily injury to any person or domestic animal;
- Without provocation, approacheas any person in a menacing or terrorizing manner or in an apparent attitude of attack;
- Attacks any person who is lawfully on the owner’s property;
- Acts in a highly aggressive manner within a fenced yard or enclosure and appears to a reasonable person able to jump over or escape.
CAS will pursue prosecution of animal owners found in violation of applicable Dangerous and Potentially Dangerous Animal Laws.