Pet Talk: Animal-protection laws put Oregon among top 5 states
By Jacques Von Lunen, Special to The Oregon...
December 29, 2009, 4:18AM
View full size THOMAS BOYD/ Tucker, a Chihuahua mix whose mother was rescued from a puppy mill, and owner Terri Rise attend a March 30 rally at the state Capitol in Salem in support of House Bill 2470. The law, which takes effect Friday, aims to stop puppy mills, in the words of demonstrators' signs. Anyone exploiting, neglecting or abusing animals will have an even harder time in Oregon come Friday. A number of new animal laws will take effect Jan.1 in Oregon, which the Animal Legal Defense Fund ranks among the nation's top five states for going after animal abusers.
This year's legislative session debated 16 bills concerning animals, an unprecedented number. Some bills -- the umpteenth attempt to ban pit bulls, for example -- died on the vine. Some deal only with the finer points of enforcing animal law.
But six of the bills the governor signed are of direct concern to animal owners. Here's a look at the most profound changes.
Puppy mills
Surely the most controversial of the bills debated last spring was H.B. 2470, dubbed the puppy-mill bill. Hotly contested in public hearings, the final legislation didn't contain all the measures its proponents wanted to keep irresponsible breeders from churning out sick, unsocialized dogs.
But it put a number of restrictions on Oregon breeders, all designed to combat the conditions found in puppy mills.
Most controversially, the law limits the number of sexually intact dogs anyone can own. Breeders cannot have more than 50 of such dogs older than 2.
The law mandates the care dogs receive in a breeder's kennel. Dogs must get at least one hour of exercise a day. They must have enough room to turn, sit, stand and lie down without touching the walls or another dog. They can't be kept in stacked cages and they must have solid flooring.
The law requires breeders and sellers of dogs to maintain strict health records.
Within 15 days of a purchase, sellers must offer a refund or a replacement pup to owners whose dogs are diseased. Within one year of a purchase, buyers can get a refund or replacement for a dog with birth defects that limit its life.
Sellers must disclose a dog's origins, including how many litters the breeder sold the previous year. It remains to be seen how effective this law will be. Two states that have such laws show two possible outcomes.
Virginia, first in the nation to enact a similar law a year ago, has barely made use of the new tool, the Waynesboro News Virginian reported. One high-volume breeder was shut down this year, but authorities didn't use the puppy-mill law to bust him. Instead, he was accused of animal cruelty.
Pennsylvania, infamous for having many puppy mills, reports dramatic changes since a new law went on the books last fall. In Lancaster County alone, 52 kennels have either closed or announced they'll do so by the end of the year, the York Daily Record/Sunday News reported.
Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/pets/index.ssf/2009/12/pet_talk_animal-protection_law.html
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