Washington trying to ban out-of-state puppy mills from selling in state
OLYMPIA – Pet stores will no longer be able to source their dogs from out-of-state puppy mills or offer loans for people to purchase dogs if a bill that passed the Washington State Senate on Wednesday becomes law.
The proposal, sponsored by Rep. April Berg, D-Mill Creek, aims to protect animals and protect customers from high-interest loans. It passed the state Senate 39-9, with one senator excused.
The bill would patch loopholes in a 2022 law that prevented pet stores from selling dogs, with exceptions for stores that had been selling dogs prior to the law’s enactment. One loophole allowed pet stores to source their dogs from out-of-state puppy mills that didn’t comply with Washington’s dog breeding laws.
Under this year’s bill, pet stores would have to source their dogs directly from breeders compliant with Washington law or brokers certified by the United States Department of Agriculture.
Documentation about the breeder would be available to prospective pet parents, including the breeder’s name, location, licensing information, inspection reports from the USDA and any violations the breeder may have incurred.
Washington limits a breeder’s capacity to 50 dogs over the age of six months at a time.
Most pet stores in Spokane don’t sell dogs from breeders. Instead, stores like Petco showcase adoptable animals from the Spokane Humane Society, a practice that would still be allowed under the bill.
Lawmakers were motivated to sponsor this bill after a controversy last year at Puppyland, a dog retailer located in Puyallup. Customers reported incurring high-interest loans and dogs with health issues, neither of which they noticed until after bringing their pet home.
The bill would prevent pet stores from offering loans and financing options to purchase a dog. “Predatory” high-interest loans play on the emotions of hopeful future pet parents, bill supporters said.
“What you have is a person who sees a dog in a window or online and says ‘Oh, we want to get this dog to have a companion,’” Berg said.
They fall in love and bring the dog into their family, only to realize the animal has health problems.
These pets often have complications that shorten their lifespan or rack up significant vet bills.
“The dog tends to have health issues, and a lot of these dogs don’t make it long in life just because of the way they were bred and carted about,” Berg said.
Puppyland owner Kayla Kerr said they make an effort to ensure their puppies come from humane, responsible breeders.
“When we work with a breeder, we’re looking for things like health testing, exercise programs, retirement programs, veterinary programs and the breeder really wanting to be great at what they do,” Kerr said.
Puppyland offered payment plans to customers who couldn’t immediately afford the price tag of up to $5,000.
In one instance, a family bought a chihuahua with an initial cost of $4,600. After taxes and added fees, the cost increased by nearly $1,000. The couple opted to finance their purchase with loans offered by Puppyland through third-party lenders.
One of the loans had a 128% interest rate, which they didn’t realize until after signing. With interest, the chihuahua cost more than $14,000. In some cases, the interest rates were up to 199%. These interest rates were legal through a loophole in Washington law.
“A lot of these folks just didn’t know what they were signing up for. It looked like a very standard financing mechanism when it wasn’t,” Berg said. “Regardless of what happens with the dog, they’re still on the hook for it.”
Opponents said the restrictions on financing were unnecessary, and customers could find loans in other places to finance their pets.
“They can just as easily come into our store, pay with a credit card, take out a loan or go to Moneytree and take out an outrageous loan there,” Puppyland owner Justin Kerr said.
Despite passing the Senate Wednesday, the bill needs a vote on the House floor and then a signature from Gov. Jay Inslee before it becomes law.