The Illinois Senate has approved a measure that would protect consumers who buy a dog or cat at a pet store and then find out that the animal is seriously ill.
Lawmakers voted 31-18 Wednesday to send to the Illinois House the bill described as a “puppy lemon law.”
The legislation would allow buyers to get a replacement or a full refund for the pet if the animal dies within 21 days of the purchase. Consumers also could seek damages for the cost of veterinary care.
Illinois now requires pet stores to provide information about a pet’s health history but gives consumers no remedy if they unknowingly buy an ill animal. Nor is there any way in which someone can be reimbursed for veterinary bills if the pet they bought was ill when it was bought.
Opponents argued that Kotowski’s bill didn’t cover the majority of pet purchases, which come from breeders or animal shelters. By one estimate made during floor debate Wednesday, as few as 15 percent of pet purchases occur at pet shops.
“It’s a little like we’ll have a speed limit on 30 percent of the state’s highways and the rest of the time you can go as high as you want,” said Sen. Dale Righter (R-Charleston). “The average cost of a dog in a pet store was about $1,000. We’ll protect the consumers who have the money to pay $1,000 for a dog as a pet. What about all those consumers who can’t afford that?”
Kotowski’s bill, patterned after existing pet “lemon” laws in 17 other states, now moves to the House.
Kotowski’s bill addresses pets that are bred for retail and sold for a profit. Like it or not, they’re a product. Customers pay a premium for them and expect the merchant to stand behind its goods.
Shelters and rescues are in the business of finding homes for stray or abandoned animals that might otherwise be destroyed or spend their lives in a kennel. When you adopt a shelter pet, you typically pay only for its shots, a spay or neuter, and maybe a fee to help keep the organization running. There’s no manufacturing cost and no retail markup. But you’re taking a leap of faith, because the animal’s background is usually a mystery.
Shelter mutts might in fact be healthier precisely because they’re not bred for sale. Selective breeding to emphasize certain traits can lead to genetic defects as well. That’s especially true when dogs are bred indiscriminately, with an eye for profit.
Like any business, commercial breeders make money by keeping costs as low as possible. Dogs are breeding stock, not pets. The bad actors in the business are the puppy mills, where animals live in cramped, unsanitary conditions without adequate food, water, exercise or veterinary care. Puppies bred in those surroundings might not be healthy, socialized or genetically sound.
Puppy lemon laws — at least 20 states have one — target the puppy mills by holding the sellers responsible if an animal turns out to be sick or to have a congenital defect. Sure, it’s a protection for the consumer, but it also puts the squeeze on puppy mills by encouraging pet stores to deal with reputable suppliers.
* And, of course, as long as we’re talking about puppies, why not take this opportunity to post another Oscar the Puppy video?
I went to visit my parents a few weeks ago. My dad is in the process of selling off and giving away some of his massive collection of antiques and other stuff, so he gave me a box of goodies to take home. Included in that box was a wooden bust of John F. Kennedy.
I have a fireplace that separates the dining room from the living room. I put the JFK bust in the dining room on the lower mantle, if that’s what it’s called. I was sitting in the living room the other day and Oscar was walking toward me and then stopped cold in his tracks, turned toward the fireplace and began acting weird. I thought he’d seen a mouse or something (which would really be weird because I’ve never had a mouse in my house) so I went to look. He was freaked out by the JFK bust. I moved the statue to the living room (for better video production) and fired up my iPhone.
At first, I thought Oscar must be a Republican because he was barking and growling at the presidential bust. Then, as you’ll see at the end, he licked JFK’s face. So, maybe he’s a Democrat. I just don’t know.
