§ 353-F — Companion animal piercing and tattooing prohibited

§ 353-f. Companion animal piercing and tattooing prohibited. 1. No\nperson shall pierce or cause to have pierced a companion animal unless\nsuch piercing provides a medical benefit to the companion animal. Such\npiercing shall be performed by a licensed veterinarian or under the\nsupervision of a licensed veterinarian. Nothing in this section shall be\nconstrued to apply to ear tags on rabbits and cavies.\n 2. No person shall tattoo or cause to have tattooed a companion animal\nunless such tattoo:\n (a) is done in conjunction with a medical procedure for the benefit of\nthe companion animal and to indicate that such medical procedure has\nbeen done, provided that such tattoo is not for design purposes; or\n (b) is done for the purpose of identification of the companion animal\nand not for design purposes, and such tattoo includes only such numbers\nand/or letters allotted by a corporation that, in the regular course of\nits business, maintains an animal tattoo identification registry.\n 3. For the purposes of this section, "tattoo" shall mean a mark on the\nbody made with indelible ink or pigments injected beneath the outer\nlayer of the skin.\n 4. Tattooing done in conjunction with a medical procedure for the\nbenefit of a companion animal that indicates that such medical procedure\nhas been done shall be performed by a licensed veterinarian or under the\nsupervision of a licensed veterinarian.\n 5. Any person who knowingly violates the provisions of this section\nshall be guilty of a violation punishable pursuant to the penal law.\n