The following words and terms, when used in this chapter, shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Unless defined in this section, all words have definitions as provided in the Texas Health and Safety Code, § 826.002.
(1) Animal--Any mammal, domesticated or wild.
(2) Assistance animal--An animal that is specially trained or equipped to help a person with a disability and that:
(A) is used by a person with a disability who has satisfactorily completed a specific course of training in the use of the animal; and
(B) has been trained by an organization generally recognized by agencies involved in the rehabilitation of persons with disabilities as reputable and competent to provide animals with training of this type.
(3) Cat--Any domestic cat, excluding hybrids.
(4) Confinement--The restriction of an animal to an area, in isolation from other animals and people, except for contact necessary for its care.
(5) Currently vaccinated--Vaccinated and satisfying all the following criteria.
(A) The animal must have been vaccinated against rabies with a vaccine licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for that species at or after the minimum age requirement and using the recommended route of administration for the vaccine.
(B) At least 30 days have elapsed since the initial vaccination.
(C) The time elapsed since the most recent vaccination has not exceeded the recommended interval for booster vaccination as established by the manufacturer.
(6) Custodian--A person or agency which feeds, shelters, harbors, owns, has possession or control of, or has the responsibility to control an animal.
(7) Department--The Department of State Health Services.
(8) Dog--Any domestic dog, excluding hybrids.
(9) Domestic animal--Any animal normally adapted to live in intimate association with humans or for the advantage of humans.
(10) Domestic ferret--Any Mustela putorius furo.
(11) Euthanatize--To cause the death of an animal implementing a technique that is in accordance with the methods, recommendations, and procedures prepared by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and set forth in the latest edition of the AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia and:
(A) rapidly produces unconsciousness and death with minimal pain or distress; or
(B) utilizes anesthesia produced by an agent that causes painless loss of consciousness and death following such loss of consciousness.
(12) Health service region--A contiguous group of Texas counties, so designated by the Executive Commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission.
(13) High-risk animals--Those animals which have a high probability of transmitting rabies; they include skunks, bats, foxes, coyotes, and raccoons.
(14) Housing facility--Any room, building, or area used to contain a primary enclosure or enclosures.
(15) Hybrid--Any offspring of two animals of different species.
(16) Impoundment--The collecting and confining of an animal by a government entity or government contractor pursuant to a state or local ordinance.
(17) Impoundment facility--An enclosure or a structure in which an animal is collected or confined by a government entity or government contractor pursuant to a state or local ordinance.
(18) Local rabies control authority--The officer designated by the municipal or county governing body under the Texas Health and Safety Code, § 826.017.
(19) Low-risk animals--Those animals which have a low probability of transmitting rabies; they include all animals of the orders Didelphimorphia, Insectivora, Rodentia, Lagomorpha, and Xenarthra.
(20) Observation period--The time following a potential rabies exposure during which the health status of the animal responsible for the potential exposure must be monitored. The observation period for dogs, cats, and domestic ferrets (only) is 10 days (240 hours); the observation period for other animals, not including those defined as high risk, unless otherwise specified in § 169.27 of this title (relating to Quarantine Method and Testing), or low risk, is 30 days. All observation periods are calculated from the time of the potential exposure.
(21) Police service animal--An animal as defined in the Texas Penal Code, § 38.151.
(22) Potential exposure--An incident in which an animal has bitten a human or in which there is probable cause to believe that an animal has otherwise exposed a human to rabies; also referred to as a potential rabies exposure.
(23) Primary enclosure--Any structure used to immediately restrict an animal or animals to a limited amount of space, such as a room, pen, run, cage, compartment, or hutch.
(24) Quarantine facility--A structure where animals are held for rabies observation.
(25) Quarantine period--That portion of the observation period during which an animal that has potentially exposed a human to rabies is under physical confinement for observation as provided for in § 169.27 of this title.
(26) Sanitize--To make visibly clean followed by the use of a disinfectant to destroy disease-producing agents.
(27) Suitable Specimen--For rabies testing, a whole bat or small rodent, a head with brain and brain stem intact, or a complete transverse cross section of the brain stem and tissue from at least one of the following: cerebellum and/or hippocampus.
(28) Unowned animal--Any animal for which a custodian has not been identified.
(29) Vaccinated--Properly administered by or under the direct supervision of a veterinarian with a rabies vaccine licensed for use in that species by the USDA.
(30) Veterinarian--A person licensed to practice veterinary medicine in the United States.
(31) Zoonosis Control Branch--The branch within the department to which the responsibility for administering this subchapter is assigned.
Credits
Source: The provisions of this §169.22 adopted to be effective April 1, 1980, 5 TexReg 812; amended to be effective March 29, 1988, 13 TexReg 1337; amended to be effective February 22, 1993, 18 TexReg 845; amended to be effective February 21, 1996, 21 TexReg 963; amended to be effective August 21, 1996, 21 TexReg 7660; amended to be effective July 12, 1998, 23 TexReg 7224; amended to be effective February 18, 2003, 28 TexReg 1389; amended to be effective March 19, 2003, 28 TexReg 2341; amended to be effective December 20, 2007, 32 TexReg 9341; amended to be effective March 31, 2013, 38 TexReg 1994.