CHAPTER 436a
SPAYING AND NEUTERING

Secs. 22-380a to 22-380d. Spaying and neutering clinics established; fees. Procedure for spaying and neutering. Receipt and disposition of funds; program termination. Report to General Assembly. Sections 22-380a to 20-380d, inclusive, are repealed, effective October 1, 1997.
(P.A. 75-466, S. 1−5; P.A. 76-63, S. 1; P.A. 77-307, S. 1−3; P.A. 86-312, S. 7, 21; P.A. 97-234, S. 11.)

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Sec. 22-380e. Animal population control program: Definitions. As used in sections 22-380e to 22-380m, inclusive:
(1) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Agriculture;
(2) "Program" means the animal population control program;
(3) "Account" means the animal population control account;
(4) "Participating veterinarian" means any veterinarian who has been approved as a participating veterinarian in the program by the commissioner;
(5) "Pound" means any state or municipal facility where impounded, quarantined or stray dogs and cats are kept or any veterinary hospital or commercial kennel where such dogs or cats are kept by order of a municipality; and
(6) "Eligible owner" means a person who has purchased or adopted a dog or cat from a pound and who is a resident of this state.
(P.A. 92-187, S. 1, 10.)
History: In 1995, references to "fund" in Subdiv. (3) were replaced editorially by the Revisors with references to "account" to conform section with Sec. 22-380g as amended by P.A. 94-95.

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Sec. 22-380f. Animal population control program: Payment required for adoption of unspayed or unneutered dogs and cats. Refunds. No pound shall sell or give away any unspayed or unneutered dog or cat to any person unless such pound receives forty-five dollars, of which twenty dollars may be refunded pursuant to this section, from the person buying or adopting such dog or cat. A nonrefundable payment of twenty-five dollars shall be required for the purchase or adoption of any unspayed or unneutered dog or cat by a bona fide animal rescue or adoption organization or any representative of any such organization. Funds received pursuant to this section shall be paid quarterly by the pound into the animal population control account established under section 22-380g. At the time of receipt of such payment, the pound shall provide a certificate to the person buying or adopting such dog or cat. Such certificate shall be on a form provided by the commissioner. If such certificate is returned to the commissioner within thirty days of the adoption or purchase of the dog or cat and is signed by a licensed veterinarian, stating that such dog or cat has been spayed or neutered and specifying the date on which the operation was performed or that such dog or cat is medically unfit for such surgery, the commissioner shall refund twenty dollars to the person who purchased or adopted the animal. If such certificate is not returned to the commissioner because the person who purchased or adopted the dog or cat failed to have such dog or cat spayed or neutered, the payment shall be considered forfeited and shall be retained in the animal population control account established pursuant to section 22-380g. In the case of any dog or cat which is temporarily unfit for surgery or a dog or cat under the age of six months, such certificate shall specify a date by which such dog or cat may be fit for such surgery and the person who purchased or adopted such dog or cat shall have thirty days from that date to return the certificate for the refund provided for in this section.
(P.A. 92-187, S. 2, 10; P.A. 97-162, S. 4; 97-187, S. 1, 4.)
History: P.A. 92-187, S. 2 effective July 1, 1994; in 1995 the phrase "animal population control fund" was replaced editorially by the Revisors with "animal population control account" to conform with Sec. 22-380g, as amended by P.A. 94-95, S. 19; P.A. 97-162 provided that funds be paid into the animal population control account quarterly rather than monthly; P.A. 97-187 reduced the refund amounts for sterilization of adopted fertile dogs and cats and established a nonrefundable fee to be paid by rescue or adoption organizations for acquisition of dogs and cats from pounds, effective July 1, 1997.

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Sec. 22-380g. Animal population control program: Animal population control account. (a) The Commissioner of Agriculture shall (1) establish an animal population control program to provide for spaying and neutering services to eligible owners of dogs and cats, and (2) establish an account to be known as the "animal population control account". The account may contain any moneys required by law to be deposited in the account. Any balance remaining in said account at the end of any fiscal year shall be carried forward in said account for the fiscal year next succeeding.
(b) The commissioner may solicit and accept funds from any public or private source of help to carry out the goals of the program, including, but not limited to, the sterilization of feral cats as provided in section 22-339d.
(c) Any revenue collected pursuant to the provisions of sections 22-380f and 22- 380l shall be deposited in the animal population control account. All money in the account shall be used by the commissioner exclusively for the implementation and promotion of the program and for the costs associated with the administration of the program provided not more than one hundred eighty thousand dollars may be expended for administrative costs per year.
(d) The commissioner may suspend the program at any time that the amount of money available in the account is less than four hundred thousand dollars. The commissioner may reinstate the program when such amount exceeds four hundred thousand dollars.
(P.A. 92-187, S. 3, 10; P.A. 94-95, S. 19; P.A. 96-243, S. 3.)
History: P.A. 94-95 changed name of fund from "Animal Population Control Fund" to "animal population control account"; P.A. 96-243 amended Subsec. (b) to authorize use of the account for sterilization of feral cats as provided in Sec. 22-339d.

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Sec. 22-380h. Animal population control program: Participating veterinarians. Any veterinarian licensed pursuant to section 20-199 may file with the commissioner, on forms prescribed by the commissioner, an application to become a participating veterinarian in the program and, in addition to providing any other information requested by the commissioner, shall provide with such application, an animal sterilization fee schedule which shall list the fees such veterinarian charges for animal sterilizations in the normal course of business. Any licensed veterinarian of this state may be certified by the commissioner as a participating veterinarian unless the commissioner disqualifies such veterinarian. Any such certification shall be for a period of one year and may be renewed annually. The fee schedule submitted pursuant to this section shall be valid for such period of certification. The commissioner may disqualify a veterinarian if he finds that the fee charged by such veterinarian for sterilization is unreasonable or if such veterinarian has been found in violation of any provision of sections 22-380e to 22-380m, inclusive, or any laws relating to the practice of veterinary medicine. Any veterinarian disqualified or otherwise denied participation in the program may appeal, within ten days of receipt of a notice of such disqualification or denial, to the commissioner who shall hold a hearing to consider such appeal, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54. The commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, providing standards for approval of participating veterinarians under this section.
(P.A. 92-187, S. 4, 10.)
History: P.A. 92-187, S. 4 effective January 1, 1994.

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Sec. 22-380i. Animal population program: Payments to participating veterinarians for sterilizations performed. (a) The program established under section 22- 380g shall provide for a payment to any participating veterinarian in an amount equivalent to eighty per cent of the fee charged for each animal sterilization performed by such veterinarian upon a dog or cat owned by an eligible owner. Such veterinarian shall be paid by the commissioner upon the submission of an animal sterilization certificate, on a form prescribed by the commissioner, signed by the participating veterinarian and the owner of the dog or cat, for each sterilization performed.
(b) The program established under section 22-380g shall further provide for a payment to any participating veterinarian for the presurgical immunization of dogs against rabies, distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis and parvovirus, or the presurgical immunization of cats against rabies, feline panleukopenia, calici, pneumonitis and rhinotracheitis, as the case may be, on animals not previously immunized. The payment shall be for no more than ten dollars for each immunization procedure and, in any case, not more than twenty dollars for one animal. Such veterinarian shall be paid by the commissioner upon the submission of a certificate, to be provided by the commissioner and signed by the veterinarian performing such operation and by the owner, stating that the animal has been immunized coincident with a spaying or neutering operation under the program.
(P.A. 92-187, S. 5, 10.)
History: P.A. 92-187, S. 5 effective July 1, 1994.

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Sec. 22-380j. Animal population control program: Procedure for abandonment of dogs or cats in program. In the event that any person who submits any cat or dog for spaying or neutering to a participating veterinarian fails to retrieve such cat or dog within the time recommended by such participating veterinarian, such veterinarian shall transfer custody of such dog or cat to a canine control officer, regional animal control officer or a municipal animal control officer, as defined in section 22-327. No participating veterinarian who has performed services provided for in sections 22-380e to 22-380m, inclusive, shall be denied payment from the fund due to any failure of an owner of a dog or cat to retrieve such dog or cat.
(P.A. 92-187, S. 6, 10.)
History: P.A. 92-187, S. 6 effective July 1, 1994.

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Sec. 22-380k. Animal population control program: Report re operation of program. Not later than one year following the inception of the animal population control program, established pursuant to sections 22-380e to 22-380m, inclusive, and annually thereafter, the commissioner shall submit a report to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to the environment setting forth a complete operating and financial statement regarding the operation of said program. The commissioner shall include in the report an evaluation of the effectiveness of said program and any recommendations for statutory or regulatory changes he deems appropriate.
(P.A. 92-187, S. 7, 10.)

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Sec. 22-380l. Animal population control program: Surcharge on licensure of unspayed or unneutered dogs. For each license issued pursuant to section 22-338 for an unspayed or unneutered dog, the town clerk shall collect a surcharge of six dollars which shall be deposited by such clerk into the animal population control account established pursuant to section 22-380g.
(P.A. 92-187, S. 8, 10.)
History: In 1995 the phrase "animal population control fund" was replaced editorially by the Revisors with "animal population control account" to conform with Sec. 22-380g, as amended by P.A. 94-95, S. 19.

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Sec. 22-380m. Animal population control program: Regulations. The commissioner may adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to implement the provisions of sections 22-380e to 22-380m, inclusive.
(P.A. 92-187, S. 9, 10.)

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CHAPTER 436aSPAYING AND NEUTERING

CHAPTER 436a
SPAYING AND NEUTERING