Update: Unfortunately, this bill did not complete the legislative process this session. It will be carried over to the 2010 session.
Bill Description: This bill would establish basic requirements for pet dealers for the care of dogs in their custody. This includes: requiring that dogs be examined by a vet prior to their sale; maintaining the dogs’ housing in “sanitary condition;” providing dogs with “adequate nutrition and potable water;” and posting the source of the dogs on the cages. In addition, pet dealers would be required to provide basic data about the animals to purchasers and to refund a consumer’s money if the dog becomes congenitally ill or dies after being sold. Dog breeders would be required to supply basic information about the dogs to purchasers (including pet dealers), as well as maintaining the dog facilities in a “sanitary condition,” providing “adequate nutrition and potable water,” providing vet care when “necessary,” and not using wire flooring for the dogs’ primary housing. Finally, dog breeders would have to refund a purchaser’s money if the dog becomes congenitally ill or dies after being sold.[teaserbreak]
This bill helps to keep consumers informed by disclosing where the dogs offered for sale in pet stores were bred. Animals sold at pet stores often are bred at “mills.” These mills are facilities at which animals are mass-produced and then transferred to commercial venues for re-sale. Because profits are tied to the number of animals produced, these breeding facilities sometimes increase profits by restricting the amount of space offered to each animal, providing limited or no access to veterinary care, and offering minimal opportunities for socialization and individual attention. The provisions in HB 1842 benefit consumers as well as animal welfare. Healthy, well-socialized animals make better companions and tend to stay with their human families for longer periods of time, thereby benefiting the families, ensuring animal welfare, and reducing the pressure on animal control agencies, animal rescue organizations, and animal shelters. Finally, sixteen states already have enacted so-called “lemon laws” — consumer protection measures geared to provide recourse to members of the public who purchase sick or diseased animals from pet shops.