An Act To Ensure Humane Dog and Cat Breeding in the State
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 7 MRSA §3907, sub-§8-A, as amended by PL 2007, c. 702, §3, is further amended to read:
8-A. Breeding kennel. "Breeding kennel" means a location where 5 one or more female adult dogs, wolf hybrids or cats capable of breeding are kept and some or all of the offspring are offered for sale, sold or exchanged for value or a location where more than 16 dogs or cats raised on the premises are sold to the public in a 12-month period. "Breeding kennel" does not include a kennel licensed by a municipality under section 3923-C when the dogs are kept primarily for hunting, show, training, mushing, field trials or exhibition purposes and not more than 16 dogs are not offered for sale, sold or exchanged for value within a 12-month period.
Sec. 2. 7 MRSA §3923-A, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2007, c. 439, §15, is further amended to read:
1. Dogs capable of producing young. A dog owner or keeper shall pay a fee of $11 $150 to the municipal clerk for each dog 6 months of age or older and capable of producing young. A dog is considered capable of producing young unless certification under subsection 2 is provided.The municipal clerk shall retain a $1 $10 recording fee and pay the remaining $10 $140 to the department for deposit in the Animal Welfare Fund.
Sec. 3. 7 MRSA §3931-A, sub-§1, as amended by PL 1995, c. 490, §10, is further amended to read:
1. License necessary. A person maintaining a breeding kennel, as defined in section 3907, must obtain a license from the department and is subject to rules adopted by the department. The license expires 12 months after the date of issuance. An applicant for a breeding kennel license must state in the application the number of adult female dogs or cats capable of breeding that are maintained at the breeding kennel.
Sec. 4. 7 MRSA §3931-A, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2003, c. 405, §16, is further amended to read:
2. License fees. The fee for a breeding kennel license is $75 calculated by multiplying the number of adult female dogs and cats at the breeding kennel capable of breeding by $500.
Sec. 5. 7 MRSA §3931-A, sub-§6 is enacted to read:
6. Restriction. A person may not maintain a breeding kennel with more than 10 female adult dogs or cats capable of breeding.
Sec. 6. 7 MRSA §3933, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2003, c. 405, §19, is further amended to read:
2. License fees. The fee for a pet shop license is $150. For a pet shop that offers for sale or sells dogs, the license fee is $150 plus $500 for each dog offered for sale or sold in the previous year.
summary
This bill amends the definition of "breeding kennel" to include any location where dogs or cats capable of breeding are kept and one or more dogs or cats are sold. It increases the fee for licensing a dog that has not been spayed or neutered. It restricts the number of adult female dogs or cats capable of breeding that can be kept at a breeding kennel to 10. It establishes a license fee for breeding kennels that is based on the number of adult female dogs or cats capable of breeding kept at the kennel. For pet shops that sell dogs, the license fee is increased incrementally based on the number of dogs sold or offered for sale in the previous year.