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General Assembly Committee Bill No. 5386
January Session, 2019
LCO No. 4624
Referred to Committee on ENVIRONMENT
Introduced by:
(ENV)
AN ACT PROHIBITING THE SALE OR TRANSFER OF DOGS, CATS
AND RABBITS AT PET SHOPS THAT ARE NOT FR OM ANIMAL
WELFARE ORGANIZATION S.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2019) (a) Notwithstanding the 1
provisions of chapter 435 of the general statutes, no owner or operator 2
of a pet shop, as defined in section 22-327 of the general statutes, shall 3
sell, offer for sale or trade any dog, cat or rabbit unless such dog, cat or 4
rabbit was obtained from a municipal or regional animal shelter or dog 5
pound or an animal adoption or animal rescue organization, as 6
defined in section 10a-150e of the general statutes. 7
(b) Each owner or operator of a pet shop shall maintain records 8
sufficient to document the source of each dog, cat or rabbit the pet 9
shop sells, offers for sale or trades for a period of not less than one year 10
following such sale, offer for sale or trade. Additionally, each such 11
owner or operator shall post, in a conspicuous location on the cage or 12
enclosure of each dog, cat or rabbit, a sign listing the name of such 13
municipal or regional animal shelter or dog pound or animal adoption 14
or animal rescue organization from which each dog, cat or rabbit was 15
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obtained. Each owner or operator of a pet shop shall make such 16
records available to the Commissioner of Agriculture, or the 17
commissioner's designee, upon request. 18
(c) Any owner or operator of a pet shop who violates the provisions 19
of this section shall be fined five hundred dollars by the Commissioner 20
of Agriculture. Each dog, cat or rabbit sold or offered for sale or trade 21
in violation of the provisions of this section shall constitute a separate 22
violation. 23
Sec. 2. Section 22-344d of the general statutes is repealed and the 24
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2019): 25
(a) A sign measuring not less than three inches in height and not 26
less than five inches in width shall be posted on the cage of each dog 27
offered for sale in a pet shop. The sign shall contain information 28
printed in black lettering on a white background listing the breed of 29
such dog, the locality and state in which such dog was born, if known, 30
and any individual identification number of such dog as listed on the 31
official certificate of veterinary inspection from the state of origin. 32
(b) A sign shall be posted stating the following: "THE FOLLOWING 33
INFORMATION IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE ON ALL OUR PUPPIES: 34
[DATE OF BIRTH, THE STATE OF BIRTH, ] BREED, SEX AND 35
COLOR, THE DATE THE PET SHOP RECEIVED THE PUPPY, [THE 36
NAMES AND REGISTRATION NUMBERS OF THE PARENTS (FOR 37
AKC REGISTERABLE PUPPIES), ] RECORD OF INOCULATIONS 38
AND WORMING TREATMENTS AND ANY RECORD OF ANY 39
VETERINARY TREATMENT OR MEDICATIONS RECEIVED TO 40
DATE.". Such sign shall include a telephone number at the Department 41
of Agriculture through which information may be obtained regarding 42
complaints about diseased or disabled animals offered for sale. Such 43
sign shall be posted in a place readily visible to the consumer where 44
dogs are offered for sale and printed in black lettering not less than 45
thirty-eight point size upon a white background. 46
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[(c) Each licensee shall post the United States Department of 47
Agriculture inspection from the prior two-year period reports for the 48
breeder of any dog offered for sale in a pet shop. Such inspection 49
reports shall be posted next to or near the cage of each dog that was 50
purchased from the breeder that is the subject of such inspection 51
reports and made available to any patron regardless of whether such 52
patron purchases said dog.] 53
[(d)] (c) Any licensee who violates any provision of this section shall 54
be fined not more than two hundred fifty dollars. 55
Sec. 3. Section 22-354 of the general statutes is repealed and the 56
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2019): 57
(a) Any dog or cat imported into this state shall be accompanied by 58
a certificate of health issued no earlier than thirty days prior to the date 59
of importation by a licensed, graduate veterinarian stating that such 60
dog or cat is free from symptoms of any infectious, contagious or 61
communicable disease, and that such dog or cat, if three months of age 62
or older, is currently vaccinated for rabies by a licensed veterinarian. A 63
copy of such health certificate shall be forwarded promptly to the 64
commissioner from the livestock sanitary official of the state of origin. 65
Any dog or cat originating from a rabies quarantine area shall have 66
permission of the State Veterinarian prior to importation into this state. 67
No person, firm or corporation shall import or export for the purposes 68
of sale, adoption or transfer or offering for sale, adoption or transfer 69
any dog or cat under the age of eight weeks unless such dog or cat is 70
transported with its dam and no person, firm or corporation shall sell 71
or offer for adoption or transfer within the state any dog or cat under 72
the age of eight weeks. Any person, firm or corporation violating the 73
provisions of this subsection or bringing any dog or cat into this state 74
from an area under quarantine for rabies shall be fined not more than 75
one thousand dollars. 76
(b) Any dog sold or offered for sale by a pet shop licensee in this 77
state shall be accompanied by a certificate of origin identifying the 78
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name and address of the person, firm or corporation that bred such 79
dog, [and of any person, firm or corporation that sold such dog to such 80
pet shop licensee] if such information is known by such licensee. Such 81
certificate shall be in a form as prescribed by the Commissioner of 82
Agriculture. Such information contained in the certificate of origin 83
shall be posted on the sign described in section 22-344d, as amended 84
by this act, and such information shall be visible to customers. A copy 85
of such certificate shall be provided to the purchaser of such dog at the 86
time of sale and shall be filed by such licensee with the Department of 87
Agriculture not later than seven days after such sale. [No pet shop 88
licensee shall purchase a dog or cat for resale or sell or offer for sale 89
any dog or cat purchased from: (1) Any breeder that (A) is not in 90
possession of a current license issued by the United States Department 91
of Agriculture and any applicable state agency, (B) was found to have 92
committed a direct violation of pet dealer-related regulations of the 93
United States Department of Agriculture during the two-year period 94
prior to such purchase, or (C) was found to have committed three or 95
more indirect violations of pet dealer-related regulations of the United 96
States Department of Agriculture during the two-year period prior to 97
such purchase provided such violations pertained to the health or 98
welfare of an animal and were not administrative in nature; or (2) any 99
other person, firm or corporation that: (A) Is not in possession of a 100
current license issued by the United States Department of Agriculture 101
and any applicable state agency, (B) was found to have committed a 102
direct violation of pet dealer-related regulations of the United States 103
Department of Agriculture during the two-year period prior to such 104
purchase, (C) was found to have committed three or more indirect 105
violations of pet dealer-related regulations of the United States 106
Department of Agriculture during the two-year period prior to such 107
purchase provided such violations pertained to the health or welfare of 108
an animal and were not administrative in nature, or (D) directly or 109
indirectly, has obtained such dog or cat from a breeder described in 110
subdivision (1) of this subsection.] Any pet shop licensee violating the 111
provisions of this subsection shall be fined not more than one 112
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thousand dollars for each violation. Each day a pet shop licensee is in 113
violation of this subsection shall constitute a separate offense. 114
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2019 New section
Sec. 2 October 1, 2019 22-344d
Sec. 3 October 1, 2019 22-354
Statement of Purpose:
To prohibit the sale of animals originating from puppy mills at
Connecticut pet shops.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline,
except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is
not underlined.]
Co-Sponsors: REP. ALLIE-BRENNAN, 2nd Dist.; REP. DOUCETTE, 13th Dist.
REP. ARCONTI, 109th Dist.; REP. DIMASSA, 116th Dist.
REP. GUCKER, 138th Dist.; REP. CURREY, 11th Dist.
REP. GODFREY, 110th Dist.; REP. LINEHAN, 103rd Dist.
SEN. KUSHNER, 24th Dist.; REP. HARDING, 107th Dist.
REP. MICHEL, 146th Dist.; REP. CAMILLO, 151st Dist.
REP. WINKLER, 56th Dist.; REP. NAPOLI, 73rd Dist.
REP. GILCHREST, 18th Dist.
H.B. 5386