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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Fifth Legislature, Second Regular Session
animal handling; microchip scan
Purpose
Requires a dog or cat brought to certain facilities to be thoroughly scanned for the presence of a microchip and reasonable efforts to be made to contact the owner. Specifies that noncompliance by a veterinarian or animal crematory is grounds for disciplinary action.
Background
A county board
of supervisors (county BOS) may provide or authorize a county pound or enter
into a cooperative agreement with a city, veterinarian or Arizona incorporated
humane society (humane society) to operate a county pound. All impounded dogs
and cats must be given proper care and maintenance. An impounded dog or cat
that is not eligible for a sterilization program must be kept and maintained at
the county pound for a minimum of 72 hours or
120 hours for an animal that is impounded with a microchip or wearing a
discernible form of identification, unless claimed or surrendered by its owner.
A person may purchase an impounded dog or cat on expiration of the impoundment
period (A.R.S.
§ 11-1013).
The Arizona State Veterinary Medical Examination Board (Veterinary Board) must protect the public from unlawful, incompetent, unqualified, impaired or unprofessional practitioners of veterinary medicine through licensure and regulation (A.R.S. § 32-2207). The Veterinary Board may, by majority consent, revoke or suspend a permit or license or impose a civil penalty of up to $1,000 against any veterinarian for outlined actions that constitute unprofessional and dishonorable conduct (A.R.S. §§ 32-2233 and 32-2232). The Veterinary Board may also take disciplinary action against an animal crematory, including revoking, suspending, refusing to issue or refusing to renew an animal crematory license, for certain actions by an animal crematory (A.R.S. § 32-2294).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Requires a city or town to require an employee or a contractor or subcontractor that has contracted with the city or town to remove deceased cats and dogs from a public place to thoroughly scan the cat or dog for the presence of a microchip and make a reasonable effort to contact the owner before disposing of the cat or dog, if the disposal will be at a landfill.
2. Requires an animal shelter, when taking possession of a dog or cat, to thoroughly scan for the presence of a microchip in the dog or cat and make a reasonable effort to contact the owner.
3. Requires, for all impounded dogs and cats or all deceased dogs and cats found in a public place and brought to a county pound or a city or town facility, veterinarian or humane society that has entered into a cooperative agreement with a county, to:
a) be scanned for the presence of a microchip; and
b) a reasonable effort to be made to contact the owner.
4. Adds, to unprofessional and dishonorable conduct of a veterinarian, failure to thoroughly scan for the presence of a microchip and make a reasonable effort to contact the owner for all stray dogs and cats brought to veterinary premises.
5. Adds, to grounds for disciplinary action for an animal crematory, failure to thoroughly scan for the presence of a microchip and make reasonable effort to contact the owner for all stray dogs and cats brought to the animal crematory before cremation.
6. Allows a county BOS to enter into a cooperative agreement with a town to establish and operate a county pound.
7. Replaces the term destroy with the term euthanize in reference to impounded, confined or quarantined animals.
8. Defines animal shelter as a duly incorporated humane society, animal welfare society, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals or other nonprofit corporate organization devoted to the welfare, protection and humane treatment of animals
9. Makes technical and conforming changes.
10. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
House Action
GE 02/09/22 DP 13-0-0-0
3rd Read 02/17/22 46-12-2
Prepared by Senate Research
March 16, 2022
MH/slp