3.2-6529 - Veterinarians to provide treasurer with rabies certificate information; civil penalty.
§ 3.2-6529. Veterinarians to provide treasurer with rabies certificateinformation; civil penalty.
A. Each veterinarian who vaccinates a dog against rabies or directs aveterinary technician in his employ to vaccinate a dog against rabies shallprovide the owner a copy of the rabies vaccination certificate. Theveterinarian shall forward within 45 days a copy of the rabies vaccinationcertificate or the relevant information contained in such certificate to thetreasurer of the locality where the vaccination occurs.
The rabies vaccination certificate shall include at a minimum the signatureof the veterinarian, the animal owner's name and address, the species of theanimal, the sex, the age, the color, the primary breed, whether or not theanimal is spayed or neutered, the vaccination number, and expiration date.The rabies vaccination certificate shall indicate the locality where theanimal resides.
B. It shall be the responsibility of the owner of each vaccinated animal thatis not already licensed to apply for a license for the vaccinated dog.Beginning January 1, 2008, if the treasurer determines, from review of therabies vaccination information provided by veterinarians, that the owner ofan unlicensed dog has failed to apply for a license within 90 days of thedate of vaccination, the treasurer shall transmit an application to the ownerand request the owner to submit a completed application and pay theappropriate fee. Upon receipt of the completed application and payment of thelicense fee, the treasurer or other agent charged with the duty of issuingthe dog licenses shall issue a license receipt and a permanent tag. Thetreasurer shall retain only the information that is required to be collectedand open to public inspection pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter andshall forthwith destroy any rabies vaccination certificate or other similarrecord transmitted by a veterinarian to a treasurer pursuant to this section.
The treasurer shall remit any rabies vaccination certificate received for anyanimal owned by an individual residing in another locality to the localtreasurer for the appropriate locality.
Any veterinarian that willfully fails to provide the treasurer of anylocality with a copy of the rabies vaccination certificate or the informationcontained in such certificate may be subject to a civil penalty not to exceed$10 per certificate. Monies raised pursuant to this subsection shall beplaced in the locality's general fund for the purpose of animal controlactivities including spay or neuter programs.
(2006, c. 836, § 3.1-796.87:1; 2007, c. 270; 2008, cc. 16, 860.)