A. Primary enclosures.
1. In addition to those standards of care outlined in Lockyer-Polanco-Farr Pet Protection Act (California Health and Safety Code Section 122125 et seq.), the Polanco-Lockyer Pet Breeder Warranty Act (California Health and Safety Code Section 122045 et seq.), the Pet Store Animal Care Act (California Health and Safety Code Section 122350 et seq.), and the Animal Welfare Act ("AWA") (7 U.S.C. Section 2131 et seq.), Pet Shop and Kennel must adhere to the following guidelines:
a. A primary enclosure, as defined under § 7.24.020, must be structurally sound and maintained in a safe, working condition to properly confine animals, prevent injury, keep other animals out, and enable the animals to remain dry and clean. There must not be any sharp edges, gaps or other defects that could cause an injury or trap a limb or other body part. Secure latches or other closing devices must be present. Wire-mesh bottoms or slatted floors in cages are not acceptable for primary enclosures for cats, rabbits, or dogs.
b. The primary enclosure should protect animals from disease exposure, provide good air quality, and be readily cleaned and disinfected. Enclosures should facilitate the monitoring of health and behavior and permit efficient and low-stress daily care. Enclosures that permit care and cleaning without removal of the animal (e.g. double-sided or compartmentalized enclosures) should be provided for recently admitted or ill animals and those who are younger than twenty (20) weeks of age.
c. A primary enclosure shall permit the provision of clean water and food without contamination from urine, feces or litter and must allow animals to sit, sleep and eat away from areas of their enclosures where they defecate and urinate. Cats and rabbits should be provided with a litter box that will comfortably accommodate their entire body. Elevated resting places should be provided whenever possible, as long as this would not restrict animal movement within the enclosure. A soft resting place should be made available for all animals to provide comfort as well as prevent pressure sores from developing. Primary enclosures should allow animals to see out but should also provide at least some opportunity to avoid visual contact with other animals.
d. Primary enclosures must provide animals with the opportunity to express normal behavior, such as (depending on species and housing unit) hiding, perching, walking, running, jumping, scratching, playing, and interacting with or avoiding conspecifics and people. At minimum, primary enclosures shall provide sufficient space to allow each animal, regardless of species, to make normal postural adjustments e.g. to turn freely and to easily stand, sit, stretch, move their head, without touching the top of the enclosure, lie in a comfortable position with limbs extended, move about and assume a comfortable posture for feeding, drinking, urinating and defecating. In addition, cats and dogs should be able to hold their tails erect when in a normal standing position.
e. Excreta shall be removed from primary enclosures as often as necessary to prevent contamination of the animals contained therein and to control disease hazards and odors. When water or cleaning and disinfecting products will be sprayed in or near the area of the primary enclosure, animals must be removed from the cage or kennel, or separated from the area being cleaned by a solid partition to prevent splatter or soaking of the animal. It is an unacceptable practice to spray down kennels or cages while animals are inside them. Animals shall not be placed in empty primary enclosures previously inhabited by other animals unless the enclosure has first been cleaned and disinfected.
f. Animals showing signs of contagious illness shall be removed from rooms and enclosures containing healthy animals and housed in a separate isolation room.
g. Animals shall not be tied to fences or cages in lieu of being housed in primary enclosures.
h. Vehicles used to transport animals must protect the animals from the elements, provide adequate ventilation and climate control, and be structurally sound to prevent injury to animals. Animals must be transported in compatible groups of the same species. In addition, the transport enclosure must be kept clean and must be of sufficient space to allow the animals to move freely (turn around, lie down, and stand up).
2. Unpermitted primary enclosures.
a. Cages or crates intended for short-term, temporary confinement or travel (e.g. airline crates, transport carriers, cages or crates designed to restrict mobility during a defined period for recovery or treatment including small stainless steel cages less than 2 ft x 2 ft), are unacceptable as primary enclosures. Crates or cages must not be stacked upon each other in a manner that increases animal stress or discomfort, compromises ventilation, or allows waste material to fall from the cage above into the cage below.
b. Animals housed in the same primary enclosure shall be maintained in compatible groups, with the following additional restrictions:
1. Females shall not be housed in the same primary enclosure with sexually intact males;
2. Any animal exhibiting a vicious disposition shall be housed individually in a primary enclosure;
3. Immature animals shall not be housed in the same primary enclosure with adults other than their mothers; and
4. Animals of different species shall not be housed in the same primary enclosures.
(Ord. 2574 §1)