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<section article="gag" article_name="Agriculture" number="2-1703" title_number="2" title_name="Department of Agriculture" subtitle_number="17" subtitle_name="Animal Shelters">
  <level label="a">
    <text>On or before January 1, 2017, an animal shelter shall   establish a written veterinary care protocol for dogs and cats that is consistent with guidelines set forth in the most recent Association of Shelter Veterinarians’ Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters with respect to:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Basic care;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Sanitation;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Population management;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>Disease control and prevention;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>Behavioral health and mental well–being; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="6">
      <text>Euthanasia.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>The written veterinary care protocol shall include:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Standards that are necessary to protect   sheltered dogs’ and cats’ health, safety, and well–being; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>A plan for:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>Quality of life enrichment;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Veterinary care;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>Prevention and control of contagious and other diseases; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>Any other health and environmental factors that materially affect  sheltered dogs’ and cats’ health, safety, and well–being.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>An animal shelter may disregard its written veterinary care protocol for a dog or cat that is deemed to be too vicious or dangerous to permit safe handling.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>An animal shelter shall update its written veterinary care protocol as necessary to reasonably accommodate any subsequent updates to the Association of Shelter Veterinarians’ Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <text>On request, an animal shelter shall make its written veterinary care protocol available to the public and the Department.</text>
  </level>
</section>
