California lawmakers introduce bill package to crack down on out-of-state puppy mills
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CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS WANT TO CRACK DOWN ON PUPPY MILLS
Via Kate Wolffe...
Democratic lawmakers were flanked by (adoptable!) puppies as they announced new legislation meant to block the flow of neglected dogs into the state.
California prohibited retail stores from selling animals like dogs, cats, and rabbits in 2017. This was to help end the puppy mill industry, where dogs are bred en masse, leading them to be born and raised in filthy and neglected conditions.
But, as the Los Angeles Times outlined last fall, new resellers have cropped up to take retail stores’ place, masquerading as local breeders or even rescues. The puppies they sell, often from mass breeders in the Midwest, might become sick or die when families bring them home.
The lawmakers proposed three new bills:
Sen. Tom Umberg, D-Santa Ana, introduced SB 312, which would require someone importing a dog into the state with the intention of selling it to provide a timely health certificate to the state Department of Food and Agriculture, and for the state to maintain an internet database of those certificates.
Assemblymember Marc Berman, D-Menlo Park, put together AB 519, which would prohibit people from being “brokers” of animals bred by another for profit.
Assemblymember Steve Bennett, D-Ventura, introduced AB 506, which would void contracts where people are required to put in a nonrefundable deposit for a dog or cat, and outlaw contracts where sellers don’t accurately identify where a pet came from.
“At a time when shelters across California are filled to the brim with animals, including puppies waiting to be adopted, we must stop importing cruelty into our state and instead support the life saving work of local shelters like Sacramento County’s Bradshaw Animal Shelter and San Diego Humane Society,” said Brittany Benesi, senior legislative director of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“We’re living in a new harsh reality. With California and the West burning at historic rates and an unrelenting year round fire season, we must buckle down to make our communities safer from wildfires. The 13 bills and accompanying budget investments in the Golden State Commitment package do just that.”
- Senate President pro Tem Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, in a statement unveiling a wildfire response bill package backed by several Democratic state senators.
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