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Species Speak
The pet disclosure bill
12:00 am Jul 23 - by Sarah Bransley – buzz Writer
When you buy a puppy or kitten from a pet store, you really only have the word of the pet store that the animal came from a reputable breeder. Rarely does a pet store give you the exact location where the pet came from, or even the name of the breeder. In Illinois, that could be changing very soon thanks to a new bill sitting in the governor’s office waiting to be signed. House Bill 5772, which has also been known as Senate Bill 3594 and Senate Bill 3633, finally passed in both the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate on May 26, 2010. Sponsored by Rep. Mendoza (D) - Chicago and Sen. Schoenburg (D) – Evanston, the bill was also co-sponsored by our very own Rep. Naomi Jakobsson (D) – Champaign! It was then sent to the governor on June 24 and has been waiting for Gov. Pat Quinn’s signature ever since. This bill gets all of the information on the pet out there – medical history as well as where the animal came from. Currently Illinois does not have a “Puppy Lemon Law,” or a law providing pet purchasers with the ability to return or be reimbursed for a puppy that falls ill due to a congenital problem after it is purchased. House Bill 5772 will help keep track of disreputable breeders. It makes one wonder, however, if a problem is found, who is responsible: the pet store or the breeder? It seems that the new pet owner will get stuck in the middle of a legal battle if they happen upon a pet that comes from a supposedly clean line and falls ill due to bad breeding.
This bill does not just affect pet stores and breeders, though, as it also affects humane societies, animal controls and animal shelters. Each of these places must keep up to date medical records on animals, where they come from, why they ended up there (such as found stray) and more. It’s an amazingly progressive step in animal welfare to help keep our companion friends safe in this day and age where puppy mills and poor medical histories are rampant across America. Now you will know if that puppy came from just around the corner or across the country and if it’s already had surgical procedures or if it’s from a line known to have congenital problems such as hip dysplasia. The better medical history you have on an animal, the easier it is for your veterinarian to pick up where the last doctor left off. This allows your pet to get the best health care and for you to be able to pick the healthiest pet for your family.
Decatur Yorkshire Terrier breeder Sharon Jackson, however, does not think this bill should pass. While she believes its basis is good, she thinks buyers should be aware themselves.
“People need to be more responsible in choosing their new family member,” Jackson said. “They need to be aware and informed. Look up the breed and where you are getting your dog from.”
As a local dog breeder, Jackson is of the opinion that you should try to get your dog locally. It makes it easier on the buyer if you happen to have a problem with the puppy since the breeder, if they are responsible, will have a wealth of information for you.
“[The buyers] won’t get help about that breed from the breeder if they are across the country and the owner is now the pet store,” Jackson said.
Jackson also believes breeders should be informed of any new problems that could be forming in their breeding lines. Having raised Yorkies, she knows that there are specific behavioral and medical problems that can crop up with these dogs as well as with other breeds. Breeders need to be informed of the health of their puppies because if they don’t know there’s a problem, they can’t correct it for the future.
As a concerned breeder, Jackson reads up on all the laws pertaining to breeders and animal welfare and has seen a trend of the government trying to invade private lives. While this law in itself is not as “scary” as most trying to be passed, it still, to Jackson, brings about thoughts of where the government will find the money and manpower to enforce this law. She agrees that an owner should know where the dog comes from and any medical history, but states that any good, reputable breeder will have all of this information. Jackson herself keeps all of this information and provides it to each client as they purchase a puppy.
While breeders know exactly where their dogs came from, the Champaign County Humane Society (CCHS) doesn’t always have such an easy time finding that information out. Some pets are relinquished from owners that didn’t keep their pets records up to date while some are found as strays. This creates large holes in the animal’s medical history. CCHS does the best it can with what they are given and perform their own medical treatments with their own veterinarian and technicians on staff.
Many of the bill’s new rules are already followed by the CCHS due to its high standards of care. However, they will have to change a few ways they run things. In particular, medical treatments would now have to put on each animal’s cage card. This will have to be updated often and will be quite a challenge for many shelters and humane societies. Mary Tiefenbrunn, the Executive Director of the CCHS, says it will be “a lot more paper, a lot more ink, and a lot more labor” for everyone involved. There are many different animals at the CCHS and almost every one of them has some sort of treatment when they first arrive. Many have antibiotics for infections, wounds that need cleaning, de-wormings, flea and tick preventative, or spay/neuter treatments. CCHS keeps track of all this information via computers but will now have to find a way to incorporate it onto each animal’s cage card. The info that is currently on the cage cards includes the animal’s picture, name, breed, age, date of birth, sex, color/markings and reason for being there. While the CCHS does not have an official statement about the bill, when asked what she personally thinks of the bill as a whole, Tiefenbrunn says “I’m happy to see it for better disclosure of information from pet stores.”
The bill, once signed, does not take effect until January 1, 2011. This gives everyone involved time to change their business practices to meet the new law’s standards. If you wish to support or shoot down this bill, write to Governor Patrick Quinn with your opinions. You can email him by going to Illinois.gov/gov/contactthegovernor.cfm or by sending some snail mail to Office of the Governor, 207 State House, Springfield, IL 62706. The rest of the animal world waits to see if that ink will be applied to paper.
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