Section 16.26. Transporting dogs.

  A person who is required to be licensed under s. ATCP 16.02 (1) , and that person's employees and agents, shall comply with the following requirements related to the transportation of dogs:

(1)   Portable enclosures. A portable enclosure used to transport one or more dogs, including any enclosure that is placed on or forms part of a transport vehicle, shall meet all of the following requirements:

(a) It shall be constructed of water-resistant and cleanable material.

(b) It shall be designed to keep all dogs within the enclosure clean and dry.

(c) It shall be designed to protect the health and safety of all dogs in the enclosure.

(d) It shall have ventilation openings to ensure the comfort and health of all dogs in the enclosure.

(e) It shall be securely closed when in use.

(f) It shall be cleaned and sanitized between occupancy by different dogs, and more often as necessary to keep it in a clean condition.

(g) When on a transport vehicle, it shall be all of the following:

1. Positioned so that each dog in the enclosure has access to sufficient air for normal breathing.

2. Positioned so that the opening through which dogs enter and exit the enclosure is accessible at all times for emergency removal of dogs from the enclosure.

3. Positioned so that all dogs in the enclosure are protected from the elements.

4. Positioned or protected so that no dog in the enclosure is exposed to excreta falling from above.

5. Secured as necessary to prevent reasonably foreseeable movement that may injure dogs.

(2)   Care of dogs during transport. The following standards apply to dogs that are being transported:

(a) Each dog shall at all times be protected from hypothermia and hyperthermia. Transportation vehicles shall be heated or cooled, if necessary, to comply with this paragraph.

(b) Each dog shall have sufficient space to turn, stand and lie down, except that this requirement does not apply to dogs transported during dog training, dog trialing, and hunting.

(c) Each dog shall be provided with food and water, according to the standards in s. ATCP 16.20 (1) .

(d) Dogs shall be separated from each other if separation is required by s. ATCP 16.20 (5) .

(e) Each dog shall be visually inspected every 4 hours.

(f) Each dog carried in a transport vehicle shall be removed from the vehicle at least once every 12 hours, and be allowed to urinate, defecate, and exercise, unless the vehicle is equipped to meet the urination, defecation, and exercise needs of all dogs being transported.

(g) Each dog carried in a transport vehicle shall be removed in a timely fashion from that vehicle when the vehicle reaches the destination to which it is transporting the dog, so that the dog can urinate, defecate, and exercise.

(3)   Transport vehicles. The following standards apply to a transport vehicle that is used to transport dogs:

(a) The vehicle shall provide fresh or filtered air as necessary, without injurious drafts, to all dogs that are transported in the vehicle.

(b) The dog cargo space shall be constructed and maintained to minimize the ingress of exhaust from the vehicle's engine.

CR 10-100 : cr. Register May 2011 No. 665 , eff. 6-1-11; correction in (2) (d) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7. , Stats., Register May 2011 No. 665 .