(2) A reference in this Act to
"the owner" of a companion animal is a reference to each and all owners of the
animal.
Note : A provision of this Act that makes the owner of a
companion animal guilty of an offence makes each owner guilty of the offence.
(5) When a companion animal is ordinarily kept by an employee on behalf of his
or her employer, the animal is for the purposes of this Act taken to be
ordinarily kept by the employer and not the employee. This subsection does not
prevent an employee being the registered owner of an animal and does not
prevent the employee being an owner if the employee is the registered owner.
(6) In any prosecution of the owner of a companion animal for an offence
against this Act it is a defence if the defendant establishes that--
(a)
another owner of the animal has been convicted of an offence arising out of
the same circumstances, or the commission by another owner of the animal of an
offence arising out of the same circumstances has been proved but a court has
made an order under section 10 of the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999
in respect of the offence, or
(b) another owner of the animal has paid the
amount of the penalty prescribed under section 92 (Penalty notices) for an
alleged offence arising out of the same circumstances.