North Carolina Administrative Code › Title 02 - AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SERVICES › Chapter 52 - VETERINARY › Subchapter J - ANIMAL WELFARE SECTION › Section .0200 - FACILITIES AND OPERATING STANDARDS › Section 52J .0204 - PRIMARY ENCLOSURES

Current through Register Vol. 39, No. 2, July 15, 2024
(a) Primary
				  enclosures and exercise areas shall be constructed so as to prevent
				  contamination from waste and wastewater from animals in other enclosures. All
				  surfaces with which an animal comes in contact shall be impervious to moisture
				  excluding the ground cover options of gravel and grass allowed for in Rule
				  .0203 of this Section.
(b) For
				  primary enclosures and exercise areas placed into service on or after January
				  1, 2005, no wood shall be within the animal's reach. For primary enclosures and
				  exercise areas in use in a licensed or registered facility prior to January 1,
				  2005, any damaged wood shall be replaced in a manner that does not permit
				  contact with wood by the animal.
(c) Primary enclosures and exercise areas for
				  dogs and cats shall be structurally sound and maintained in good repair and in
				  a manner to prevent injury to animals and keep other animals out.
(d) Primary enclosures shall be constructed
				  so as to provide space to allow each dog or cat to walk, turn about freely, and
				  to stand with their tails erect, sit, or lie in a natural position with their
				  limbs extended without touching other animals within the enclosure or the sides
				  or top covering of the enclosure.
(e) Exercise areas shall be constructed to
				  provide adequate space to allow each dog or cat to run and express natural play
				  behaviors typical of the species.
(f) The height of a primary enclosure or an
				  exercise area other than a cage shall be no less than five feet tall.
(g) All primary enclosures and exercise areas
				  shall be constructed to prevent the escape of animals.
(h) Each primary enclosure and exercise area
				  shall be provided with a solid resting surface or surfaces adequate to
				  comfortably hold all occupants of the primary enclosure and exercise area at
				  the same time. All resting surfaces shall be of a non-porous or easily
				  sanitized material, such as a solid floor, towel, or a disposable material such
				  as newspaper. The resting surface or surfaces shall be elevated in primary
				  enclosures housing two or more cats.
(i) In addition to Paragraph (b) of this
				  Rule, each dog shall be provided a minimum square footage of floor space equal
				  to the mathematical square of the sum of the length of the dog in inches, as
				  measured from the tip of its nose to the base of its tail, plus six inches,
				  then divide the product by 144. The calculation is: (length of dog in inches +
				  6) x (length of dog in inches + 6) = required floor space in square inches.
				  Required floor space in square inches ÷ 144 = required floor space in
				  square feet. The calculation shall be expressed in square feet.
(j) Not more than four adult dogs shall be
				  housed or confined in the same primary enclosure or exercise area without
				  supervision. Dogs younger than six months of age shall not be housed or
				  confined or comingled with adult dogs other than their dams without
				  supervision; this includes any animals owned by the staff or operator of the
				  facility.
(k) If more than four
				  dogs including animals owned by the staff or operator of the facility are
				  housed or confined in an exercise area or primary enclosure, then there shall
				  be at least one person constantly supervising each 10 dogs housed or confined
				  within each primary enclosure or exercise area. This supervision shall be
				  conducted from within the exercise area or primary enclosure such that the
				  person(s) has/have immediate access to the animals in the event of an
				  emergency, aggression or fight between animals.
(l) Pregnant dogs and cats shall be housed
				  singly in a primary enclosure. Nursing dogs and cats shall be housed only with
				  their litter in a primary enclosure until the litter has been weaned. The
				  primary enclosure shall be of sufficient size to allow the dam and all animals
				  in the litter to walk, turn about freely, nurse, and to easily stand with their
				  tails erect, sit, or lie in a natural position with their limbs extended
				  without touching other animals within the enclosure, the sides, or top covering
				  of the enclosure and to leave the whelping/queening area for
				  exercise.
(m) In addition to
				  Paragraphs (d), (e) and (h) of this Rule, each feline older than six months
				  housed in any primary enclosure or exercise area shall be provided a minimum of
				  four square feet of floor space which may include elevated resting surfaces.
				  Each feline younger than six months shall be provided 1.5 square
				  feet.
(n) Not more than 12 cats
				  shall be housed or confined in the same primary enclosure or exercise
				  area.
(o) In all cat primary
				  enclosures and exercise areas, a clean receptacle containing clean litter shall
				  be provided for waste. A minimum of one receptacle per three cats is required
				  for each primary enclosure and exercise area.
(p) Pools in primary enclosures and/or
				  exercise areas:
(1) Whenever water in a pool
				  is deeper than the height at the shoulder of the shortest dog in the pool area,
				  an ingress-egress area shall be provided;
(2) No dog shall have access to the pool or
				  pool area other than a typical kiddie wading pool without
				  supervision;
(3) Facilities shall
				  be constructed, maintained, and managed to protect animals from illness,
				  injury, and death resulting from access to pools or pool areas;
(4) Pools with a capacity of less than 100
				  gallons shall have the water changed and be cleaned and sanitized daily. Pools
				  with a capacity of 100 gallons or more shall have commercially manufactured
				  filtration and cleaning systems installed and the manufacturer recommendations
				  followed for cleaning, sanitation and water quality; and
(5) Typical kiddie wading pools are to be
				  considered accessories for the purposes of cleaning, sanitation, repair and
				  maintenance.