(a)  A pet shop shall send the following records to the department of environmental management on or before May 1 and November 1 of every year, documenting the following for each dog or cat offered for sale during the previous six (6) months:

(1)  A health certificate signed by a licensed veterinarian that indicates that the dog or cat was examined and in good health seven (7) days after the dog or cat was acquired by the pet shop;

(2)  Original source information including:

(i)  The name, business name, if applicable, street address, city, and state of the breeder;

(ii)  Any applicable federal and state license number for the breeder;

(iii)  Any federal and state inspection reports the breeder received in the previous six (6) months, without redactions, unless the reports are unavailable because the breeder had not been inspected by federal or state agencies in the previous six (6) months;

(iv)  The total number of dogs and cats on the premises of the breeder at the time the dog or cat offered for sale by the pet shop left the breeder’s premises;

(3)  Broker or dealer information, if applicable, including:

(i)  The name, business name, if applicable, street address, city, and state of the broker or dealer who obtained the dog or cat from the breeder and resold the dog or cat to the pet shop;

(ii)  Any applicable federal and state license number for the broker or dealer who sold the dog or cat to the pet shop;

(iii)  Any federal and state inspection reports the broker or dealer received in the previous six (6) months, without redactions, unless such reports are unavailable because the broker or dealer has not been inspected by federal or state agencies in the previous six (6) months.

Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 4-19-4.1

  • Animal: means any dog or cat, rabbit, rodent, nonhuman primate, bird or other warm-blooded vertebrate, amphibian, fish, or reptile but shall not include horses, cattle, sheep, goats, swine, and domestic fowl. See Rhode Island General Laws 4-19-2
  • Animal shelter: means a brick-and-mortar facility that is used to house or contain animals and that is owned, operated, or maintained by a duly incorporated humane society, animal welfare society, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, or other nonprofit organization devoted to the welfare, protection, and humane treatment of animals. See Rhode Island General Laws 4-19-2
  • Breeder: means a person engaged in the propagation of purebred or crossbred dogs and/or cats for the purpose of improving and enhancing a breed recognized and registered by the American Kennel Club, American Field Stud Book, a registered cat breed association, or for sale at wholesale or retail, unless otherwise exempted as a hobby breeder as defined below. See Rhode Island General Laws 4-19-2
  • Broker: means any third party who arranges, delivers, or otherwise facilitates transfer of ownership of animal(s), through adoption or fostering, from one party to another, whether or not the party receives a fee for providing that service and whether or not the party takes physical possession of the animal(s) at any point. See Rhode Island General Laws 4-19-2
  • Dealer: means any person who sells, exchanges, or donates, or offers to sell, exchange, or donate, animals to another dealer, pet shop, or research facility, or who breeds animals for the purpose of selling or donating to another dealer or pet shop or research facility. See Rhode Island General Laws 4-19-2
  • dog pound: means a facility operated by a state, or any political subdivision of a state, for the purpose of impounding or harboring seized, stray, homeless, abandoned, or unwanted dogs, cats, and other animals or a facility operated for that purpose under a contract with any municipal corporation or incorporated society for the prevention of cruelty to animals. See Rhode Island General Laws 4-19-2
  • enclosure: means the most proximal barrier to an animal that will have the intended purpose or effect of containment of that animal or that will effectively restrict the liberty of the animal. See Rhode Island General Laws 4-19-2
  • Pet shop: means an establishment where animals are bought, sold, exchanged, or offered for sale or exchange to the general public at retail. See Rhode Island General Laws 4-19-2
  • rescue: means an entity, without a physical brick-and-mortar facility, that is owned, operated, or maintained by a duly incorporated humane society, animal welfare society, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, or other nonprofit organization devoted to the welfare, protection, and humane treatment of animals intended for adoption. See Rhode Island General Laws 4-19-2

(b)  A pet shop shall post on the enclosure of each dog and cat offered for sale:

(1)  The breed, age, and date of birth of the dog or cat;

(2)  The information required under subsection (a) of this section.

(c)  Subsections (a) and (b) of this section shall not apply to any dog or cat obtained from an animal rescue, shelter, or dog pound.

(1)  For those dogs or cats obtained from an animal rescue, shelter, or dog pound, a pet shop must post on each enclosure the name and address of the animal rescue, animal shelter, or dog pound, and the organization’s federal tax identification number, if applicable.

(d)  A pet shop owner or operator who violates any provision of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) for a first offense, by a fine of not more than three hundred dollars ($300) for a second offense, and a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500) for a third or subsequent offense. Each failure to report or post in violation of this section shall constitute a separate offense.

History of Section.
P.L. 2019, ch. 120, § 2; P.L. 2019, ch. 145, § 2.