(a) The premises of any dealer or research facility shall be made available to the commissioner or the commissioner’s representative for inspection at all reasonable times. The commissioner or the commissioner’s representative shall make or cause to be made such inspections or investigations of the premises as considered necessary.
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 44-17-115

  • Commissioner: means the commissioner of agriculture. See Tennessee Code 44-17-102
  • Dealer: means any person who, for compensation or profit, buys, sells, transports (except as a common carrier), delivers for transportation, or boards dogs or cats for research purposes, or any person who buys or sells twenty-five (25) or more dogs or cats in any one (1) calendar year for resale within the state or for transportation out of the state. See Tennessee Code 44-17-102
  • Representative: when applied to those who represent a decedent, includes executors and administrators, unless the context implies heirs and distributees. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Research facility: means any school, hospital, laboratory, institution, organization or person that uses or intends to use dogs or cats in research, tests, or experiments and that purchases or transports dogs or cats in commerce. See Tennessee Code 44-17-102
(b) The commissioner or the commissioner’s representative, or any legally constituted law enforcement agency, may stop any motor vehicle or other conveyance transporting dogs or cats for inspections as to the humane treatment of animals and compliance with licensing requirements of this part or for investigations in search of lost or stolen animals.
(c) The commissioner shall issue rules and regulations requiring licensed dealers and research facilities to permit inspection of their animals and records at reasonable hours upon request by legally constituted law enforcement agencies in search of lost animals.
(d) Nothing in this part shall be construed as authorizing the commissioner to promulgate rules, regulations, or orders governing the handling, care, treatment or inspection of animals during actual research or experimentation by a research facility.
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