(a) Any owner or keeper of a dog or cat of the age of three months or older shall have such dog or cat vaccinated against rabies. Any animal vaccinated prior to one year of age or receiving a primary rabies vaccine at any age shall be considered protected for only one year and shall be given a booster vaccination one year after the initial vaccination and shall be vaccinated at least every three years thereafter. Those animals revaccinated after one year of age shall be given booster vaccinations at least every three years thereafter. Proof of vaccination shall be a certificate issued by a licensed veterinarian in accordance with subsection (a) of section 22-339c. A licensed veterinarian, upon request of the Chief Animal Control Officer, any animal control officer, municipal animal control officer or regional animal control officer shall submit to such officer a copy of such certificate and any associated rabies vaccination records for such dog or cat that has bitten a person or another animal.

(b) The State Veterinarian or the Commissioner of Agriculture, or the commissioner's designee, may grant an exemption from vaccination against rabies for a dog or cat if a licensed veterinarian has examined such animal and determined that a rabies vaccination would endanger the animal's life due to disease or other medical considerations. Such exemption may be granted for an individual animal only after the veterinarian has consulted with the State Veterinarian, the Commissioner of Agriculture, or the commissioner's designee, and completed and submitted to the department an application for exemption from rabies vaccination on a form approved by the Department of Agriculture. After approval of such exemption, the department shall issue a rabies vaccination exemption certificate, copies of which shall be provided to the veterinarian, the owner of the dog or cat exempted from rabies vaccination and the animal control officer of the municipality in which the owner of the dog or cat resides. Certification that a dog or cat is exempt from rabies vaccination shall be valid for one year, after which time the animal shall be vaccinated against rabies or the application for exemption shall be renewed.

(c) Any veterinarian aggrieved by a denial of a request for an exemption from rabies vaccination by the State Veterinarian, the Commissioner of Agriculture or the commissioner's designee may appeal such denial as provided in the Uniform Administrative Procedure Act, sections 4-166 to 4-189, inclusive.

(d) Any violation of this section shall be an infraction.

(P.A. 85-167, S. 3, 9; P.A. 91-46, S. 2, 12; P.A. 93-435, S. 43, 95; P.A. 96-243, S. 13, 16; P.A. 06-105, S. 2; P.A. 09-228, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 91-46 entirely replaced previous provisions with new language re rabies vaccinations for dogs and cats; P.A. 93-435 made certain technical and grammatical revisions, effective June 28, 1993; P.A. 96-243 added provision making violations of section an infraction, effective June 6, 1996; P.A. 06-105 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a), moved penalty provision from said Subsec. to new Subsec. (d) and added new Subsecs. (b) re exemption from vaccination against rabies for dog or cat and issuance of rabies vaccination exemption certificate and (c) re veterinarian appeal of denial of request for such exemption; P.A. 09-228 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision re submission by veterinarian to animal control officer of copy of certificate and rabies vaccination records for dog or cat that has bitten a person or another animal, effective July 1, 2009.