August 25, 2017
Today, the Illinois Pet Lovers Association (IPLA) thanks Governor Rauner for signing into law Senate Bill 1882 – the Safe Pets Bill. IPLA worked with bill sponsors Senator Mike Hastings and Representative Jerry Costello to bring together Humane Society of United States (HSUS), American Kennel Club (AKC), and other concerned parties to craft legislation to ensure puppy mills cannot do business in Illinois.
Illinois Pet Lovers Association President Carl Swanson had this to say: “This bill brought together all interested parties to guarantee that puppy mills cannot sell puppies to pet stores in Illinois. In fact, combined with the Puppy Lemon Law and the warranties provided by pet stores, now there is no safer place to find your new puppy than at a pet store in Illinois.”
HSUS Executive Director Mark Ayers stated, “the bill now includes meaningful pet store sourcing regulations. As such, HSUS no longer opposes this bill.We thank Senator Hastings for addressing our concerns, and applaud him for doing what is right for both animals the people of Illinois.”
Senate Bill 1882 requires pet stores to only acquire dogs from U.S. Department of Agriculture-licensed and inspected breeders that have had no direct or critical non-compliance citations impacting the welfare of animals within the prior two years or hobby breeders. Pet stores must acquire and retain for two years copies of the breeder inspection reports. It also requires that every puppy sold in a pet store is microchipped before it is sold.
“Responsibly run pet stores are pleased to work with state legislators to show that we have held, and will continue to hold, ourselves to the highest level of standards in the pet industry”, said Carl Swanson.
The Illinois Pet Lover’s Association is a collection of Illinois pet store owners, veterinarians, pet suppliers and customers dedicated to the responsible sale of healthy pets from reputable breeders. Senate Bill 1882 is supported by the American Kennel Club, Illinois State Veterinary Medical Society, and the Illinois Federation of Dog Clubs & Owners.
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