On Friday, June 25, New Hampshire’s Governor Sununu signed HB 2, the state budget, into law. Section 302 of the law establishes a new electronic statewide animal records database. Details regarding the background on this legislation can be viewed in the American Kennel Club’s (AKC’s) update last week.
Animal Records Database Established:
In New Hampshire, no dog, cat, or ferret can be offered for transfer by a pet vendor licensee or by any individual unless accompanied by a copy of the official certificate of transfer issued by a licensed veterinarian within 14 days prior to the transfer.
The bill authorizes the Department of Agriculture, Markets, and Foods to work with a third party to design, establish, and implement an electronic system to facilitate the handling of these animal records. Once operational, licensed veterinarians will be required to submit electronic “official certificates of transfer” indicating an examined dog, cat, or ferret is free from evidence of communicable diseases or internal or external parasites. The certificate must also list all vaccines and medication administered to the animal. A copy of the certificate must be kept where dogs, cats, and ferrets are displayed and given to the person who takes ownership. The confidentiality of information submitted to the database is protected from public disclosure. Privacy violations can result in felony charges.
Included in the new law are waiver procedures for veterinarians who are not yet able to electronically submit data, and for animals that fail the examination to obtain an official certificate of transfer because of a non-contagious illness or cat-specific diseases. Instead of establishing new fees on animal owners, the animal records database has been funded by the state for operationalization and maintenance.
AKC and New Hampshire’s Dog Owners of the Granite State (NH DOGS) are grateful to Chairman Howard Pearl for his advocacy and for lawmakers’ desire to ensure the database provisions were reasonable. Thank you!
For more information on these or other legislative issues in New Hampshire, contact AKC’s Government Relations Department at 919-816-3720 or doglaw@akc.org; or the Dog Owners of the Granite State at dogs.nh@gmail.com.