Title 4, Title 4 and Animal Husbandry

Any person, firm, or corporation who or that violates any provision of this chapter, unless the penalty is otherwise stated in a specific subsection, is subject upon conviction, plea of guilty, or plea of nolo contendere to a fine of five hundred dollars ($500) for the first offe…

(a) Notwithstanding any provision of the general or public laws to the contrary, it shall be unlawful to dispose of any animal by using a carbon monoxide chamber or gas chamber. All animals that must be disposed of by a municipal pound or shelter, the humane society, an animal sh…

Destruction of animals using gas shall be permitted only by state agencies for the protection of public health. In addition, companies permitted by the department of environmental management pursuant to § 20-1-18 shall also be exempt from this ban on the use of gas.

The director may, as he or she deems indicated and appropriate, promulgate rules and regulations consistent with the objectives and intent of this chapter for the purpose of carrying out those objectives and intent. Those rules and regulations may include, but are not limited to,…

This chapter does not apply to a place or establishment which is operated under the immediate supervision of a duly licensed veterinarian as a hospital where animals are harbored, boarded and cared for incidental to the treatment, prevention, or alleviation of disease processes d…

Any authorized representative of the director, and the general agent of the Rhode Island society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, has the power to enter at reasonable times upon any private or public property for the purposes of inspection and investigating conditions re…

(a)(1) No licensed releasing agency shall release, sell, trade, give away, exchange, adopt out, or otherwise transfer, with or without a fee, any dog or cat that has not been spayed or neutered unless the adopting party executes a written agreement with the licensed releasing age…

Upon request, the adoptive party shall receive a refund for the fee collected by the licensed releasing agency under the provisions of subsection 4-19-16(a) provided that the licensed releasing agency has not caused the dog or cat to be spayed or neutered at the time the request …

(a) Violations of the provisions of § 4-19-16 or the written agreement executed pursuant to § 4-19-16 by an adopting party are punishable by a fine of fifty dollars ($50.00) for the first offense, one hundred fifty dollars ($150) for the second offense and four hundred dollars ($…

No provision of this chapter prohibits any city or town from adopting any provision of this chapter as a municipal ordinance.

As used in this chapter, chapter 13 of this title, and the regulations promulgated under this chapter: (1) “Adequate feed” means the provision at suitable intervals, not to exceed twenty-four (24) hours, of a quantity of wholesome foodstuff suitable for the species and age, suffi…

If any provision of this chapter or the application of any provision to any person or circumstances is held invalid, the remainder of the chapter and the application of any provision to persons or circumstances other than those as to which it is held invalid shall not be affected…

Wherever the word “owner” shall appear in this chapter it shall also mean and may be interchanged with the word “guardian” as defined in § 4-19-2.

(a) Effective January 1, 2019, no municipality shall employ any animal control officer who has not received certification to be an animal control officer from the National Animal Care & Control Association (NACA) or other equivalent organization as determined by the Rhode Island …

(a) A public animal shelter shall not charge an adoption fee for a dog or cat if the person adopting the dog or cat presents to the public animal shelter a current and valid driver’s license or identification card with the word “veteran” printed on its face pursuant to § 31-10-48…

(a) For the purposes of this section, “police dog” means: a dog owned by a police department or police agency of the state of Rhode Island or any political subdivision thereof, that is used by the department or agency for official duties. (b) EMS personnel may provide emergency t…

No municipality shall operate a dog pound unless a certificate of registration for that dog pound has been granted by the director. Application for that certificate shall be made in the manner provided by the director. No fee is required for the application or certificate. Certif…

No person shall operate an animal shelter, rescue, or as a broker unless a certificate of registration for that animal shelter, rescue, or broker has been granted by the director. Application for that certificate shall be made in the manner provided by the director. No fee is req…

(a) A pet shop shall send the following records to the department of environmental management on or before May 1 and November 1 of every year, documenting the following for each dog or cat offered for sale during the previous six (6) months: (1) A health certificate signed by a l…

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to sell, exchange, trade, barter, lease, or display for a commercial purpose any dog or cat on any roadside, public right-of-way, parkway, median, park, other recreation area, flea market or other outdoor market, or commercial or retail par…

No person shall operate a pet shop, as defined in this chapter, unless a license to operate that establishment shall have been granted by the director. Application for that license shall be made in the manner provided by the director. The license period is the state’s fiscal year…

No person shall act as a breeder, as defined in § 4-19-2, unless in possession of a valid license to operate as a breeder granted by the director. Application for that license shall be made in the manner provided by the director. The license period is the state’s fiscal year and …

No person shall act as a trainer, as defined in § 4-19-2, unless in possession of a valid kennel license as set forth in § 4-19-6. Provided, however, persons engaged in dog training activities for dog training programs operated by government agencies, or operated by a not-for-pro…

(a) No person shall operate a public auction or a kennel, as defined in this chapter, unless a license to operate that establishment has been granted by the director. Application for the license shall be made in the manner provided by the director. The license period is the fisca…

No person shall operate as a dealer, as defined in this chapter, after the first day of the fiscal year unless a license to deal has been granted by the director to that person. Application for the license shall be made in the manner provided by the director. The license period i…

(a) A certificate of registration may be denied to any pound or animal shelter, rescue, or broker, and a license may be denied to any public auction, kennel, breeder, pet shop, trainer, or dealer or, if granted, the certificate or license may be revoked by the director if, after …

Any person who operates as a pet shop, kennel, breeder, or public auction without a currently valid license shall, upon conviction, plea of guilty, or plea of nolo contendere, be punished pursuant to § 4-19-11.3. Each day of operation shall constitute a separate offense. Advertis…