Lawmaker, Animal Humane Society Push for Breeder Transparency
The path to pet ownership isn’t always linear. Many pets go straight from a breeder to an owner. Others find themselves in a temporary shelter like the Animal Humane Society, waiting for a new home.
The agency, which spends much of its time on animal adoption, says breeders aren’t always transparent about their practices.
“When people in Minnesota purchase a puppy or a kitten from a state licensed commercial dog breeder, they’re lacking access to important information about that breeding operation,” said Kim LaBo, public policy strategist for the Animal Human Society.
According to LaBo, the state collects data during the licensing and inspections of commercial breeders.
That data can tell “whether their puppy was raised with five or 500 animals, if the breeder had a violation during an inspection, what was the nature that violation, how many violations occurred,” LaBo said.
However, that data is classified as private under state law, and can’t be accessed by consumers. The Animal Humane Society would like to see that change.
“Information about us, our inspection records are available publicly,” LaBo said. “We think they should be for commercial breeders. You know, if you’re a responsible breeder, you should welcome transparency.”
The Animal Humane Society is supporting a bill proposed by Rep. Mike Friberg to make pet breeder data available to the public.
Minnesota Rep. Mike Freiberg (DFL – Golden Valley) agrees.
“There’s no reason breeders shouldn’t be held to the same standard,” he said.
Freiberg proposed a bill this session that would change the law to allow for more transparency. He said the public has some appetite for the change.
“They want to know that the place they’re getting the pet from is reputable, so this just provides them with a way to find that out,” he said.
He’s hopeful the bill can still move forward this session.
“This is one, it has bipartisan support, which anything is going to need to pass the in the House this year,” Freiberg said. “So I think that speaks well for it as well.”
The version of the bill in the Minnesota Senate is sponsored by Sen. Bonnie Westlin (DFL – Plymouth).
See also: Animal Humane Society Volunteer Recognized for 25 Years of Service
