§ 431. Transportation. 1. Vehicle requirements. (a) Vehicles and\noperators employed by or otherwise serving as an agent of any animal\nshelter to transport animals shall adhere to all applicable federal,\nstate, and local laws.\n (b) Any animal transported by an animal shelter or its agent shall not\nbe placed unconfined or tethered in the back of an open pick-up or\nflatbed truck.\n (c) Any animal shelter or its agent transporting any animal shall\nsafely and securely confine such animal in an enclosure such as a crate,\ncarrier, or cage within the vehicle. Foster care providers serving as an\nagent of any animal shelter for purposes of this section may be\nauthorized to provide secure alternatives to enclosures for transport of\nlarge dogs.\n (d) Any transport vehicle transporting dogs or cats for any animal\nshelter shall have adequate space, comfortable environmental conditions,\nand good air quality. The animal compartment of the transport vehicle\nshall provide fresh air, free of vehicle exhaust fumes.\n (e) Each transport vehicle, including cargo spaces, shall be heated\nand cooled as necessary to provide for normal thermoregulation of the\nanimals being transported.\n (f) Each transport vehicle shall have a thermometer placed in the\nanimal compartment. The ambient temperature in the cargo space shall be\nmaintained between sixty and eighty-five degrees fahrenheit, unless the\nhealth of the animal necessitates an ambient temperature that exceeds or\nis less than such parameters. The operator of such vehicle shall monitor\ncargo area temperatures at least every four hours to ensure such\ntemperatures are maintained.\n 2. General responsibilities of animal shelters of origin prior to\ntransport. (a) It is the responsibility of the animal shelter of origin\nto reasonably ensure that its destination animal shelters have the\nability to meet the requirements of subdivision four of this section\nprior to transporting any animal. A written contract or memorandum of\nunderstanding between the animal shelter of origin, any intermediate\nanimal shelter, the destination animal shelter and any transporting\nagent not directly employed by such shelters, shall be executed for each\nanimal transfer of one or more animals. Such document shall include the\nresponsibilities of each party and shall be revised or updated as\nnecessary to ensure that information is current.\n (b) A contact person shall be designated for each animal shelter and\nany intermediate transfer points.\n (c) Each transporting organization identified in any agreement\nestablished pursuant to subparagraph (i) of paragraph (d) of this\nsubdivision shall adhere to all public health laws and local laws for\nsource location, intermediate transfer points, and final destination.\n (d) (i) For dogs or cats imported into the state, the animal shelter\nof origin shall ensure that each dog or cat to be transported aged three\nmonths of age or older has been vaccinated against rabies not more than\ntwelve months prior to the date of transport when using a one-year\nvaccine, or not more than thirty-six months prior to the date of\ntransport when using a three-year vaccine, as evidenced by a valid\ncertificate of immunization signed by a duly licensed veterinarian. Such\nvaccine shall be approved by the United States department of\nagriculture. The immunization requirement shall not apply if a\nveterinarian certifies in writing that because of old age or other\nreason, the life of the dog would be endangered by the administration of\nthe rabies vaccine.\n (ii) At a minimum, the animal shelter of origin shall administer the\nfollowing core vaccinations to each dog or cat to be transported that is\nfour weeks of age or older:\n (1) For dogs, a modified live product for Distemper virus, Adenovirus,\nand Parvovirus as well as an intranasal or oral avirulent culture\nBordetella bronchiseptica vaccination prior to departing from the animal\nshelter of origin.\n (2) For ca
‹ Prev All New York sections Next ›
Lexace provides legal information, not legal advice, and no attorney–client relationship is created. Statute text is provided for general information and may not reflect the most recent amendments; verify against the official state code.