Sec. 18. Any owner seeing his sheep, goats, cattle, horses, mules, swine, ratites, or poultry being injured, wounded, or killed by a dog, not accompanied by or not under the supervision of its owner, may pursue and kill such dog.
(Source: P.A. 88-600, eff. 9-1-94.)


Sec. 18.1. The owner or keeper of a dog is liable to a person for all damages caused by the dog pursuing, chasing, worrying, wounding, injuring, or killing any sheep, goats, cattle, horses, mules, poultry, ratites, or swine belonging to that person.
(Source: P.A. 88-600, eff. 9-1-94.)


Sec. 18.1. The owner or keeper of a dog is liable to a person for all damages caused by the dog pursuing, chasing, worrying, wounding,injuring, or killing any sheep, goats, cattle, horses, mules, poultry, ratites, or swine belonging to that person.
(Source: P.A. 88-600, eff. 9-1-94.)


Sec. 19. Any owner having sheep, goats, cattle, horses, mules, swine, or poultry killed or injured by a dog shall, according to the provisions of this Act and upon filing claim and making proper proof, be entitled to receive reimbursement for such losses from the Animal Control Fund; provided, he or she is a resident of this State and such injury or killing is reported to the Administrator within 24 hours after such injury or killing occurs, and he or she shall have appeared before a member of the County Board of the county in which such killing or injury occurred and makes affidavit stating the number of such animals or poultry killed or injured, the amount of damages and the owner of the dog causing such killing or injury, if known. Members of the County Board are authorized to administer oaths in such cases.

The damages referred to in this Section shall be substantiated by the Administrator through prompt investigation and by not less than 2 witnesses who shall be owners or life tenants of real property in the county. The member of the Board shall determine whether the provisions of this Section have been met and shall keep a record in each case of the names of the owners of the animals or poultry, the amount of damages proven, and the number of animals or poultry killed or injured.

The member of the Board shall file a written report with the County Treasurer as to the right of an owner of sheep, goats, cattle, horses, mules, swine, or poultry to be paid out of the Animal Control Fund, and the amount of such damages claimed.

The County Treasurer shall, on the first Monday in March of each calendar year, pay to the owner of the animals or poultry the amount of damages to which he is entitled. Unless the county board, by ordinance, establishes a schedule for damages reflecting the reasonable market value; the damages allowed for grade animals or poultry shall not exceed the following amounts:

a. For goats killed or injured, $30 per head.
b. For cattle killed or injured, $300 per head.
c. For horses or mules killed or injured, $200 per head.
d. For swine killed or injured, $50 per head.
e. For turkeys killed or injured, $5 per head.
f. For sheep killed or injured, $30 per head.
g. For all poultry, other than turkeys, $1 per head.

The maximum amounts hereinabove set forth may be increased 50% for animals for which the owner can present a certificate of registry of the appropriate breed association or organization. However, if there is not sufficient money in the portion of the fund set aside as stated in Section 7 to pay all claims for damages in full, then the County Treasurer shall pay to such owner of animals or poultry his pro rata share of the money available.


If there are funds in excess of amounts paid for such claims for damage in that portion of the Animal Control Fund set aside for this purpose, this excess shall be used for other costs of the program as set forth in this Act.
(Source: P.A. 84-551.)


Sec. 20. The payment to any owner of sheep, goats, cattle, horses, mules, swine, or poultry of monies out of the Animal Control Fund for damages resulting from loss or injury to any such animals, shall not be a bar to an action by such owner against the owner of the dog committing such injury or causing such loss for the recovery of damages therefor. The court or jury, before which such action is tried, shall ascertain from evidence what portion,if any, of the damages sought to be recovered in such action has been paid to the plaintiff in such action by the County Treasurer, and in case the plaintiff in such action recovers damages, the court shall enter judgment against the defendant, in the name of the plaintiff for the use of the county, for the amount which the plaintiff has received on account of such damages from the County Treasurer, if such recovery shall equal or exceed the amount so received by such plaintiff from the County Treasurer; and the residue of such recovery, if any there be, shall be entered in the name of the plaintiff in such action to his own use. If the amount of the recovery in such action shall not equal the amount previously paid the plaintiff on account of such damages by the County Treasurer, then the judgment shall be entered as heretofore stated for the use of the Animal Control Fund, for the full amount of such recovery. The judgment shall show on its face what portion of the judgment is to be paid to the Animal Control Fund, and what portion is to be paid to the plaintiff in such action, and the judgment when collected shall be paid over to the parties entitled thereto in their proper proportions.
(Source: P.A. 83-346.)

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