Meridan, Connecticut

§ 65-8 Breeders permit required.

A. Effective July 1, 2016, anyone who wants to breed their dog(s) within the City of Meriden shall obtain a breeding permit from the Animal Control Office prior to breeding their dogs. No person, as principal, agent, employee or otherwise, shall breed any dog or other domestic animal at any place within the City without a breeding permit. Breeding shall be deemed to have occurred upon the production of offspring, whether the offspring result from sexual activity or artificial insemination, and whether such breeding was intentional or unintentional.

B. Each completed application for a breeding permit shall be submitted to the Animal Control Office, and shall be accompanied by a fee of $25. No breeding permit shall be issued until the application fee is paid. The breeding permit application shall contain a warning that a citation and fine may issue for failure to comply with the provisions of the breeding permit.

C. Each breeding permit is issued to the person, not the dog. A breeding permit cannot be sold, purchased, traded or otherwise conveyed from the person to whom the breeding permit was initially granted.

D. The following conditions must be met for a breeding permit to be issued:

(1) The applicant must submit the completed breeding permit application and the fee to the Animal Control Office.

(2) The applicant has an adequate indoor space and outdoor space in which to breed the dog(s) and raise the offspring that will contain the dogs, as well as provide them with safe, sanitary, and humane conditions appropriate for breeding the specific dog(s), and meets all applicable provisions of the Meriden City Code and state animal welfare laws, and is inspected by the Animal Control Officer.

(3) The Animal Control Officer has evaluated the physical and behavioral characteristics regarding the suitability of the particular dogs to be bred.

E. The Animal Control office may deny an application for a breeding permit if it finds that one or more of the following has occurred:

(1) The applicant has failed to meet the criteria set forth above;

(2) The applicant has failed to appropriately license the dog to be bred;

(3) The applicant has a history of allowing dogs to run loose or escape or has otherwise been found to be neglectful; has had a dog identified by the Animal Control Office to be a nuisance; or has had a dog or other domestic animal removed from their care; or has previously been determined to be in violation of this chapter; or

(4) The applicant has applied for a breeding permit within the previous 10 months.

F. In addition to other penalties as set out in this chapter and/or the Connecticut General Statutes, a violation of this section may result in the denial of future breeding permits and/or a citation in the amount of $250.

§ 65-9 Inspection of premises to be used for breeding purposes.

A. The Animal Control Officer may inspect the premises to be used for breeding purposes and to conduct the evaluation as set forth above. The Animal Control Officer shall give the applicant 24 hours’ notice of the inspection and shall conduct the inspection at a reasonable time when the applicant or their representative is present.

B. Up to one year after issuing the breeding permit, the Animal Control Officer shall have the option to inspect the premises being used for breeding purposes to ensure that the conditions required to receive a permit are continuing to be met. The Animal Control Officer shall give the applicant 24 hours’ notice of the inspection and shall conduct the inspection at a reasonable time when the applicant or their representative is present.

C. The breeding permit application shall be denied or the breeding permit may be revoked if:

(1) The applicant refuses to allow the Animal Control Officer to conduct such inspection or reinspection.

(2) The applicant cannot be contacted by the Animal Control Officer to give notice of the inspection within two weeks of the initial attempt.

D. In addition to other penalties as set out in this chapter and/or the Connecticut General Statutes, a violation of this section may result in the denial of future breeding permits and/or a citation in the amount of $250.

§ 65-10 Litter permits.

A. Breeding permit holders shall apply for and obtain a litter permit for every litter produced by the breeding permit dog(s). Breeding permit holders must apply to the Animal Control Office for a litter permit before the dog is bred. A litter permit application shall be accompanied by a litter permit fee in the amount of $25. A litter permit should be applied for and granted for every litter to be produced by any dog or domestic animal owned, held or maintained by the permit holder. The litter permit application shall contain a warning that a citation and fine may issue for failure to comply with the provisions of the breeding permit.

B. In the event that a permit holder or someone having an active breeding permit fails to apply for a permit before the female dog enters its gestation period, the Animal Control Officer may issue the litter permit without penalty if the Animal Control Officer determines that the failure to acquire the permit was not in bad faith.

C. No more than two litter permits will be issued to breeding permit holders within one year’s time, unless the breeding permit holder also holds a kennel license under Connecticut General Statutes § 22-342.

D. In addition to other penalties as set out in this chapter and/or the Connecticut General Statutes, a violation of this section may result in the denial of future litter permits and/or a citation in the amount of $250 per litter.