Section 16.20. Dog care; general.

  The following standards of care apply to all dogs kept pursuant to a license under s. ATCP 16.02 (1) , including any dogs that the license holder consigns to a home custody provider:

(1)   Food and water.

(a) Each dog shall be fed at least once a day, unless another schedule is needed to maintain or restore the dog's health.

(b) The size and nutritional content of a dog's daily food ration shall be based on dog's age, condition, size, and weight.

(c) Dog food shall be wholesome, uncontaminated, and palatable. Dog food shall be stored in a manner that keeps it wholesome, uncontaminated, and palatable. Food storage containers shall be kept clean and free of contaminants.

(d) All dogs shall have adequate access to water during the course of the day to keep the dogs well-hydrated at all times. Water shall be fluid, potable, and uncontaminated.

(e) Food and water shall be provided under this subsection in durable containers, except that food may be provided in a nondurable container if the container is discarded after a single use.

(f) Water containers, non-disposable food containers and non-disposable utensils shall be cleaned with an appropriate detergent, rinsed, and sanitized with an appropriate sanitizer as often as necessary to keep them free of accumulated dirt, debris, and disease hazards.

(2)   Animal health and veterinary care.

(a) Each dog shall be handled as carefully as practicable and in a humane manner that does not cause physical harm or unnecessary injury.

(b) The responsible caretaker on the premises, or an individual implementing a caretaker's oral or written instructions, shall perform daily body, mobility, and behavior checks on each dog.

(c) Any dog that has or is suspected of having a communicable disease shall be kept physically separated from other susceptible animals to prevent the disease from spreading to those animals.

(d) Each dog shall be groomed as necessary to prevent abnormal matted hair and overgrown nails, and to allow freedom of movement and normal bodily functions.

(e) A veterinarian shall examine each dog as often as necessary to ensure adequate health care. The examining veterinarian shall use appropriate methods to prevent, control, diagnose, and treat diseases and injuries. The license holder shall follow the veterinarian's recommendations.

(f) Sick, diseased or injured dogs shall be provided with timely veterinary care or shall be euthanized by a method described in Appendix 1 to the Guidelines on Euthanasia published by the American Veterinary Medical Association (June 2007).

(g) The department may, by written notice, require a person holding a license under s. ATCP 16.02 (1) to submit a dog for examination by a licensed veterinarian within a specified time period if the department finds, based on its inspection, that the dog is exhibiting signs of illness, injury, or neglect.

(3)   Housing and transportation.

(a) Except as provided in par. (c) , dogs shall be kept in facilities that comply with ss. ATCP 16.22 and 16.24 .

(b) Dogs shall be transported in compliance with s. ATCP 16.26 .

(c) Paragraph (a) does not apply to a facility that is used only for the purpose of breeding, raising and selling dogs for scientific research, provided that all of the following apply:

1. The license holder was using that facility solely for that purpose on June 1, 2011, and any primary enclosures added or materially reconstructed since that date comply with ss. ATCP 16.22 and 16.24 .

2. The dogs are sold from the facility at which they are bred and raised.

3. The dogs are sold only to animal care facilities licensed or registered by the United States department of agriculture, and are not resold to any other person.

4. The dogs are kept in enclosures that comply with 9 CFR, Chapter I, subchapter A (animal welfare).

(4)   Exercise. A dog shall be allowed reasonable daily exercise, based on the dog's breed, size, age and health condition. Dogs shall have daily access to an indoor or outdoor run or exercise area where they can achieve a running stride. Repetitive unsupervised physical activity, such as unsupervised placement on a moving treadmill, which prevents a dog from engaging in other activities, shall be avoided except for good cause.

(5)   Dog grouping and separation.

(a) Dogs shall be separated, as necessary, into compatible groups.

(b) Females in season (estrus) may not be kept with sexually intact males in the same primary enclosure, or kept without separation from sexually intact males in any confined area, except for breeding purposes.

(c) Dogs exhibiting potentially harmful aggressive behavior shall be separated from other dogs.

(d) Puppies under 4 months old may not be kept with adult dogs other than their dam or foster dam in the same primary enclosure or other confined area, unless under direct supervision.

(6)   Behavior and socialization.

(a) All dogs shall have daily, full-body physical contact with other compatible dogs, except where such contact must be avoided for good cause.

(b) All dogs shall have daily positive human contact and socialization, not limited to feeding time.

(c) All dogs shall have safe play objects or other effective forms of inanimate enrichment in their primary enclosures, except where such objects or enrichment must be denied for good cause.

(d) Dogs may not be deprived of contact, activity, or enrichment under this section for extended periods, except for good cause.

(e) A license holder under s. ATCP 16.02 (1) shall have a written plan for meeting the requirements under this subsection, and shall instruct employees and agents on the terms of that plan.

CR 10-100 : cr. Register May 2011 No. 665 , eff. 6-1-11.

Note

Copies of Appendix 1 to the Guidelines on Euthanasia published by the American Veterinary Medical Association (June 2007) are on file with the department and may be obtained online at http://www.avma.org/issues/animal welfare/euthanasia.pdf or from the American Veterinary Medical Association at the following address: Microsoft Windows NT 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1 American Veterinary Medical Association Microsoft Windows NT 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1 1931 N. Meacham Rd Microsoft Windows NT 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1 Suite 100 Microsoft Windows NT 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1 Schaumburg, IL 60173-4360 Microsoft Windows NT 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1