Illinois currently has the following number of licensees:
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196 dog breeders with over six intact femalesIowa
Iowa authorizes the operation of:
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Commercial establishments which are commercial breeders (breeds and sells dogs or cats and owns four or more intact males or females)-
Dealers (which includes rescues)-
Commercial kennels (grooming, boarding, training, dog daycare)-
Iowa also permits USDA licensed breeders and dealersIowa’s program is funded through licensing fees and an appropriation from the general fund.
Iowa’s program fee is $175 per year for all of the above mentioned commercial establishments, except for animal shelters and pounds which are $75 per year.
In order to be an authorized commercial establishment in Iowa, one must apply and submit an application fee. Once these are received, an inspector performs a pre-licensing inspection. If the facility is compliant, a license is issued. If the facility is noncompliant, then the inspector documents the areas of noncompliance and the corrective actions that are necessary and discusses a timeline with the applicant. The inspector will perform a reinspection. All commercial establishments, with the exception of USDA permittees, are inspected once per calendar year. Inspections are unannounced. If the facility is noncompliant, then the inspector documents the areas of noncompliance, the corrective actions necessary to become compliant, and a deadline to become compliant. The inspector then performs a reinspection. An inspection is also performed if Iowa receives a complaint against a licensed establishment.
Iowa has eight inspectors and two compliance investigators. About two-thirds to three-quarters of each inspectors’ duties are inspections of commercial establishments. However, they do have other job duties. Iowa does not inspect USDA permittees unless Iowa receives a complaint against one. Iowa responds under the state’s animal welfare law, not the program regulations.
Iowa has 1,540 authorized commercial establishments, of which 291 are licensed as commercial breeders plus an additional 299 USDA permittees.
Michigan
Michigan requires licensure or registration for pet shops, animal shelters, and large-scale dog breeding kennels. The pet shop program is currently suspended.
Michigan’s program is funded partially through license fees and partially through general funds.
Michigan’s pet shops program has a one-time fee of $100. Michigan’s large-scale dog breeding kennels (16 or more intact females that have whelped before) has a yearly license fee of $500. Michigan’s animal shelters program is funded entirely by general funds. There is no required application or registration fee for Michigan’s animal shelters program.
Michigan law requires a pre-licensing inspection for shelters and pet shops. Michigan requires that all three entity types demonstrate their facilities comply with the state rules. There are few regulations in Michigan law. Inspections are done by field staff, field veterinarians, and a licensed veterinary technician. There is no specified period for reinspection or annual inspection. The law requires an inspection prior to licensure and requires facilities to demonstrate that they are in compliance. Due to this, the Michigan department’s response to additional inspections has varied in past years. Many years ago, the Michigan department inspected facilities multiple times a year. There have been times when the Michigan department did not inspect beyond the pre-licensing inspection unless they received a complaint. The Michigan department has been striving for annual reinspection most recently.
The Michigan pet shops program is currently suspended. Before the suspension, Michigan last licensed around 250 pet shop facilities. Michigan currently has 13 large-scale dog breeding kennels and 195 shelters registered.
Minnesota
Minnesota has a commercial dog and cat breeder licensing program. The program requires a person who possesses or has an ownership interest in animals, is engaged in the business of breeding animals for sale or for exchange in return for consideration, possesses ten or more adult intact animals, and whose animals produce more than five total litters of puppies or kittens per year to be licensed and comply with all applicable statutes.
Minnesota also has a kennel licensing program. The program requires any person who operates a kennel where dogs or cats are kept, congregated, or confined to be licensed and comply with all applicable statutes. This includes if the dogs or cats were obtained from municipalities, pounds, auctions, or by advertising for unwanted dogs or cats, or dogs or cats strayed, abandoned, or stolen. This includes humane societies, rescue organizations, and impound facilities. This does not include a pound owned and operated by any political subdivision of the state, a person’s home where dogs or cats are kept as pets, or a veterinarian licensed to practice in the state.
Minnesota’s dog and cat breeder program and kennel licensing program are both funded by state appropriation which is incorporated into the general fund. All fees and penalties collected for the commercial dog and cat breeder program are credited to the dog and cat breeders licensing account in the special revenue fund. Money in the account, including interest on the account, is annually appropriated to administer the dog and cat breeder program. Penalties and fees for the kennel licensing program are deposited into the general fund.
Minnesota’s commercial dog and cat breeders fee is $10 per adult intact animal up to a maximum of $250. The kennel license fee is $15.
Under Minnesota’s commercial dog and cat breeders program, there is an initial pre-license inspection within 60 days from the date of receiving a license application. The Minnesota board initially inspects each licensed facility at least annually. If, after the pre-license inspection, the commercial breeder has two consecutive years of inspections with no violations, the Minnesota board must inspect the commercial breeder at least every two years. If the commercial breeder has any violations during an inspection or if there is cause, the Minnesota board must inspect the commercial breeder at least annually. The Minnesota board must initiate an investigation upon receiving a formal complaint alleging violations. The program has 11 inspectors, consisting of state employees, veterinarians, and agriculture specialists.
Under Minnesota’s kennel licensing program, the kennel must be initially inspected by the Minnesota board. Periodic inspections must be made pursuant to Minnesota statutes. Upon request, the Minnesota board must be allowed to inspect any building or structure on a premises where a kennel is operated. Inspections are done at a minimum annually. The Minnesota board initiates an investigation upon receiving a formal complaint alleging violations. The program has 24 inspectors, consisting of state employees, federal employees, veterinarians, animal health technicians, and agriculture specialists.
All Minnesota staff, both veterinarians and non-veterinarians, conduct a myriad of inspections including breeders and kennels. The key difference is that federal staff do not perform breeder inspections, which are conducted by state staff only.
Minnesota licenses 123 commercial dog and cat breeders and 82 kennels.
Summary of Factual Data and Analytical Methodologies
The program revenue appropriation (appropriated by Wis. Stat. § 20.115 (2) (j)) does not have adequate revenue to recover costs. The appropriation currently has a negative cash balance. The appropriation includes the dog seller program as well as the dog licensing, rabies, and humane programs. This rule proposal addresses the dog seller program portion of the appropriation and not the dog licensing, rabies, and humane programs side of the appropriation. Based on current projections for the timeline of the rule process, the proposed rule would become effective by the beginning of Fiscal Year 2024 (July 1, 2023). The cash balance of the dog sellers program at that time is projected to be -$300,873. The tables below show projected expenditures, revenues, and losses from Fiscal Year 2021 to the beginning of Fiscal Year 2024. There is an item in the biennial budget to eliminate the Fiscal Year 2021 negative ending cash balance in the appropriation, which is included in the projected Fiscal Year 2022 ending cash balance.
The Department is not able to reduce expenditures to the level of current revenues without resulting in a failure to fulfill statutory requirements. Pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 173.41, the Department is required to: -
Implement and administer licensing of dog sellers and dog facility operators -
Inspect the premises at which a person who is required to obtain a license operates before issuing the initial license and at least once every 2 years after the year in which the person is first licensed -
Report mistreatment of dogs to a humane officer or law enforcement agency if the Department has reasonable grounds to believe that a dog in the possession of a person required to be licensed is being mistreated in violation of ch. 951 -
Promulgate rules to implement and administer regulations of persons who sell dogs or operate animal shelters, including licensing, inspections, health requirements, standards of care, and record keepingThe above statutory requirements are critical to ensuring appropriate standards of care in licensed facilities. These statutory requirements benefit animal health and wellbeing, human health, and consumer protection.
The current dog seller program fees were established in 2011 when the program was first created and have not been increased in the ten years since.
