HB367: relative to cats and dogs.

HB 367 - AS INTRODUCED

2003 SESSION

03-0113

08/09

HOUSE BILL 367

AN ACT relative to cats and dogs.

SPONSORS: Rep. Phinizy, Sull 23

COMMITTEE: Environment and Agriculture

ANALYSIS

This bill eliminates the exemption for humane societies and animal shelters from certain health requirements for animals.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

03-0113

08/09

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Three

AN ACT relative to cats and dogs.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 Importation and Sale; Dogs, Cats, and Ferrets. Amend RSA 437:10 to read as follows:

437:10 Dogs, Cats, and Ferrets.

I. No dog, cat, or ferret shall be [offered for sale or resale] transferred by a licensee without first being protected against infectious diseases using a vaccine approved by the state veterinarian and unless accompanied by an official health certificate issued by a licensed veterinarian within 14 days of sale. Said certificate shall be in triplicate, one copy of which shall be sent to the state veterinarian, one copy of which shall be for the licensee's records, and one copy of which shall be given to the purchaser upon resale as provided in paragraph II.

II. The original of the official health certificate accompanying the dog, cat, or ferret [offered for sale or resale] transferred by a licensee shall be kept on the premises where dogs, cats, and ferrets are displayed, and made available for inspection upon request. The public will be informed of their right to inspect the health certificate for each dog, cat, or ferret by a sign prominently displayed in the area where the dogs, cats, or ferrets are displayed. Upon [sale] transfer of the dog, cat, or ferret, this health certificate shall be updated by the licensee if any other medication or treatment has been given by a licensed veterinarian or the licensee to the dog, cat, or ferret and shall be given to the purchaser in addition to any other documents which are customarily delivered to the purchaser.

III. [Animal shelter facilities, as defined in RSA 437:2, I, are exempt from the requirements of this subdivision relative to accepting, selling, or transferring dogs, cats, and ferrets except that:]

(a) All animal shelter facilities and humane societies shall have on premises a microchip scanner and shall maintain a file of recognized pet retrieval agencies including but not limited to national tattoo or microchip registries.

(b) Where an owner is not known, all animal shelter facilities and humane societies shall inspect for tattoos, ear tags, or other permanent forms of positive identification and shall scan for a microchip upon admission of an unclaimed or abandoned animal as defined in RSA 437:18, IV and prior to transferring ownership of an unclaimed or abandoned animal.

(c) All animal shelters and humane societies shall comply with the provisions of RSA 437:13-a, IV.

IV. No person, firm or corporation shall ship or bring into the state of New Hampshire, to offer for sale [or], resale, or transfer in the state of New Hampshire, any cat, dog, or ferret less than 8 weeks of age. No licensee shall offer for sale [or], resale, or transfer any cat, dog, or ferret less than 8 weeks of age.

V. All dogs, cats, and ferrets received for sale, resale, or transfer shall be held 48 hours separated from other animals on the premises before being offered for sale, resale, or transfer.

2 Subdivision Heading. Amend the subdivision heading of RSA 437:13-a to read as follows:

[Breeder's] Health Certificate for Cats

3 Health Certificates for Cats. Amend RSA 437:13-a, IV to read as follows:

IV. All [incorporated or chartered humane societies with operating shelters in the state of New Hampshire are exempt from the requirements of this section relative to selling or transferring cats except that all] cats transferred out of an animal shelter facility shall have a form of positive identification, including but not limited to a tattoo, collar, microchip, ear tag, or any other permanent form of identification approved by the commissioner of agriculture, markets, and food and shall be vaccinated against rabies in accordance with RSA 436.

4 Section Heading. Amend the section heading of RSA 466:6-a to read as follows:

466:6-a [Breeder's] Health Certificate for Dogs.

5 Breeder's Health Certificate. Amend RSA 466:6-a, I and II to read as follows:

I. No dog shall be [sold] transferred by any person in the state or out of the state [by a breeder] for a fee without first being inoculated against infectious canine diseases using a vaccine approved by the state veterinarian and unless accompanied by an official health certificate issued by a licensed veterinarian within 14 days. Said certificate shall be in triplicate, one copy of which shall be sent to the state veterinarian, one copy of which shall be kept by the [breeder]transferor of said dog for a period of at least 3 years and one copy of which shall be given to the [purchaser] new owner.

II. For purposes of this section, an official health certificate means a certificate signed by a licensed veterinarian on a form approved by the state veterinarian, containing the name and address of the breeder, the age, sex, breed and description of the dog, a list of all types of vaccines or medication administered to said dog, and the certification of the veterinarian that the dog is free from [visual] evidence of communicable diseases such as kennel cough (infectious tracheo bronchitis), canine distemper, and external and internal parasites (including coccidiosis).

6 Repeal. RSA 466:6-a, IV and V, relative to the exemptions of humane societies and animal shelters and the definition of breeder, are repealed.

7 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2004.