Section 117.80  Animal Training and Care Program

a)         The Department may establish programs, such as the "Helping Paws Service Program", in which committed persons may be taught to train, groom, or board animals such as dogs, cats, and horses.  The companion and service animal training operation may be either a not-for-profit or a for-profit operation; the kennel operation shall be a for-profit operation.

b)         The Department may work with not-for-profit charitable organizations, such as the Clarence Foundation, in programs in which committed persons are taught to train animals as companion or service animals for placement with persons who are elderly or disabled.  For purposes of this Section, a disabled person is one who suffers from a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.  The organization will obtain the animals for the industry operation to train and will subsequently place the animals after they have been trained at no cost to the recipient.  The animals will remain the property of the not-for-profit organization. Placement of such animals may be terminated by the organization when there is no longer a need for the placement or when it is in the best interest of the recipient, animal, or organization. This program will provide committed persons with marketable skills, save animals from euthanasia, and provide companion or service animals to individuals in need.  The Department shall not accept any fee for such training, but may accept donations or reductions in cost of supplies or services for the animals while under the Department's care.

c)         The Department may establish a kennel operation in which animals may be boarded, groomed, or trained for a fee.  These services shall be available to departmental staff and to the general public.

d)         Employees of the Department shall periodically visit committed persons who have been certified as service dog trainers or animal care professionals and who have been paroled or placed on mandatory supervised release to determine whether the committed persons are using their skills as certified service dog trainers or animal care professionals [730 ILCS 5/3-12-6].

(Source:  Added at 26 Ill. Reg. 658, effective January 15, 2002)