AB527: Bill Text

LRB-2976/1

RCT:cjs:pg

2005 - 2006 LEGISLATURE

2005 Assembly BILL 527

June 28, 2005 - Introduced by Representatives Strachota, Pridemore, Loeffelholz, Jeskewitz, Albers and Kerkman, cosponsored by Senator Grothman. Referred to Committee on Agriculture.

AB527,1,3 An Act to amend 95.21 (2) (a), 95.21 (5) (a), 95.21 (5) (c) 1. and 174.07 (1) (b); and to create 95.21 (9) (d) of the statutes; relating to: the requirement that dogs be vaccinated against rabies.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Under current law, the owner of a dog is required to have the dog vaccinated against rabies. The owner of a dog must obtain a dog license annually from the city, village, or town in which the dog is kept and must provide proof of rabies vaccination in order to obtain a dog license.

This bill authorizes a city, village, or town to exempt the owner of a dog from the requirement to have the dog vaccinated against rabies if the owner provides a letter from a veterinarian stating that vaccination is inadvisable for reasons related to the dog's health. The owner may obtain a dog license for a dog that is exempt from the vaccination requirement, but the owner must provide a new letter for each year that the owner seeks an exemption.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

AB527, s. 1 Section 1. 95.21 (2) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB527,2,9 95.21 (2) (a) Requirement for vaccination. Except as provided in s. 174.054 or sub. (9) (d), the owner of a dog shall have the dog vaccinated against rabies by a veterinarian at no later than 5 months of age and revaccinated within one year after the initial vaccination. If the owner obtains the dog or brings the dog into this state after the dog has reached 5 months of age, the owner shall have the dog vaccinated against rabies within 30 days after the dog is obtained or brought into the state unless the dog has been vaccinated as evidenced by a current certificate of rabies vaccination from this state or another state. The owner of a dog shall have the dog revaccinated against rabies by a veterinarian before the date that the immunization expires as stated on the certificate of vaccination or, if no date is specified, within 3 years after the previous vaccination.

AB527, s. 2 Section 2. 95.21 (5) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB527,2,20 95.21 (5) (a) Delivery to isolation facility or quarantine on premises of owner. An officer who orders a dog or cat to be quarantined shall deliver the animal or shall order the animal delivered to an isolation facility as soon as possible but no later than 24 hours after the original order is issued or the officer may order the animal to be quarantined on the premises of the owner if the animal is immunized currently against rabies as evidenced by a valid certificate of rabies vaccination or other evidence. If an officer delivers a dog or orders a dog to be delivered to an isolation facility and the dog is exempt from the requirement to be vaccinated against rabies under sub. (9) (d), the owner of the dog may choose an isolation facility that is a veterinary hospital.

AB527, s. 3 Section 3. 95.21 (5) (c) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB527,3,3 95.21 (5) (c) 1. If a dog or cat is ordered to be quarantined because there is reason to believe that the animal has been exposed to a rabid animal and if the dog or cat is not currently immunized against rabies, the custodian of an isolation facility or the owner shall keep the animal leashed or confined for 180 days. The owner shall have the animal vaccinated against rabies between 155 and 165 days after the exposure to a rabid animal, unless the animal is exempt from the requirement to be vaccinated against rabies under sub. (9) (d).

AB527, s. 4 Section 4. 95.21 (9) (d) of the statutes is created to read:

AB527,3,10 95.21 (9) (d) A city, village, or town may exempt the owner of a dog from the requirement to have the dog vaccinated against rabies for a year based on a letter from a veterinarian stating that vaccination is inadvisable because of a reaction to a previous vaccination, a physical condition, or a regimen of therapy that the dog is undergoing. The city, village, or town shall require the owner to provide a new letter for each year in which the owner seeks an exemption under this paragraph.

AB527, s. 5 Section 5. 174.07 (1) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB527,3,18 174.07 (1) (b) Licenses. Upon payment of the required dog license tax and, except as provided in s. 95.21 (9) (d), upon presentation of evidence that the dog is currently immunized against rabies, the collecting official shall complete and issue to the owner a license for the dog bearing a serial number and in the form prescribed by the department stating the date of its expiration, the owner's name and address, and the name, sex, spayed or unspayed, neutered or unneutered, breed and color of the dog.

AB527,3,19 (End)