02 NCAC 52J .0204 PRIMARY ENCLOSURES
(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.
History Note: Authority G.S. 19A-24;
Eff. April 1, 1984;
Amended Eff. January 1, 2005; April 1, 1985;
Readopted Eff. September 1, 2022.