(a) No pound shall sell or give away any unspayed or unneutered dog or cat to any person unless such pound receives forty-five dollars from the person buying or adopting such dog or cat. Funds received pursuant to this section shall be paid quarterly by the municipality into the animal population control account established under section 22-380g. At the time of receipt of such payment, the pound shall complete a voucher, for the purpose of benefits, as provided in section 22-380i, for the sterilization and vaccination of such dog or cat and (1) provide the voucher to the person buying or adopting such dog or cat, or (2) retain such voucher and submit it to a participating veterinarian for such sterilization and vaccination before releasing the dog or cat to the person buying or adopting the dog or cat. Any such voucher shall be on a form provided by the commissioner and signed (A) by the eligible owner if the voucher is provided to the person buying or adopting the dog or cat, or (B) by a representative of the pound if the pound retains the voucher. Such voucher shall become void after sixty days from the date of purchase or adoption unless a participating veterinarian certifies that the dog or cat is medically unfit for surgery. Such certification shall be on a form provided by the commissioner and specify a date by which such dog or cat may be fit for sterilization. If the surgery is performed more than thirty days after such specified date, the voucher shall become void. In the case of a dog or cat that has been previously sterilized or is permanently medically unfit for sterilization, as determined by a participating veterinarian, the voucher shall be void and the eligible owner may apply to the commissioner for a refund in the amount of forty-five dollars. If a dog or cat has pyometra and is not purchased or adopted from a pound, a representative of the pound may complete a voucher, for the purpose of benefits, as provided in section 22-380i, and submit such voucher to a participating veterinarian for the sterilization and vaccination of such dog or cat.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, no pound shall receive forty-five dollars from the Connecticut Humane Society for any unsterilized cat or dog that is given by such pound to the Connecticut Humane Society, provided such cat or dog is sterilized prior to the adoption of such animal from the Connecticut Humane Society. Such sterilization shall not be required if a licensed veterinarian certifies, in writing, that the animal is medically unfit for sterilization surgery.

(c) The Connecticut Humane Society shall submit a biannual report to the Commissioner of Agriculture that shall include, but not be limited to, the municipal facility from which any animal described in subsection (b) of this section was taken, the impound number of such animal, the species and gender of such animal, the date that the Connecticut Humane Society received the animal and the date of sterilization for such animal.

(d) Upon a finding that the Connecticut Humane Society has failed to comply with any provision of subsection (b) or (c) of this section, the Commissioner of Agriculture may terminate the Connecticut Humane Society's exemption from the payment of the forty-five-dollar fee required pursuant to subsection (a) of this section.

(P.A. 92-187, S. 2, 10; P.A. 97-162, S. 4; 97-187, S. 1, 4; P.A. 01-87, S. 2; P.A. 03-198, S. 1; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(h); P.A. 04-189, S. 1; P.A. 07-105, S. 3; P.A. 12-108, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 92-187, S. 2 effective July 1, 1994; (Revisor's note: In 1995 the phrase “animal population control fund” was replaced editorially by the Revisors with “animal population control account” to conform with Sec. 22-380g, as amended by P.A. 94-95, S. 19); P.A. 97-162 provided that funds be paid into the animal population control account quarterly rather than monthly; P.A. 97-187 reduced the refund amounts for sterilization of adopted fertile dogs and cats and established a nonrefundable fee to be paid by rescue or adoption organizations for acquisition of dogs and cats from pounds, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 01-87 eliminated provision re payment of $25 for purchase or adoption of animals by animal rescue organizations, eliminated provisions re certificate and refund, changed “pound” to “municipality” re quarterly payments to account and established a voucher program for sterilization and vaccination of adopted animals; P.A. 03-198 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a) and added new Subsecs. (b), (c) and (d) re Connecticut Humane Society's exemption from the $45 fee; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 replaced Commissioner of Agriculture with Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-189 repealed Sec. 146 of June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, thereby reversing the merger of the Departments of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective June 1, 2004; P.A. 07-105 amended Subsec. (c) to change recipient of report from Animal Population Control Fund to Commissioner of Agriculture; P.A. 12-108 amended Subsec. (a) to add provisions authorizing pound to retain and submit voucher to participating veterinarian for sterilization and vaccination before releasing dog or cat to person buying or adopting such animal, requiring voucher to be signed by eligible owner if voucher is provided to person buying or adopting such animal or by representative of the pound if pound retains the voucher, requiring that voucher become void after 60 days from date of purchase or adoption and authorizing representative of pound to complete and submit voucher for sterilization and vaccination of dog or cat having pyometra, to insert Subdiv. designators (1) and (2) and Subpara. designators (A) and (B) and to make technical changes.