Puppy Protection Act HB 2470
Needs Your Help
OHS Position: Supports
Status: Passed House and Senate. Signed into law by Governor.
OHS strongly urges voters to support legislation before Oregon lawmakers that would stop the worst abuses now occurring in puppy mills. HB 2470, the Puppy Protection Act, sets minimum standards of care and and provides consumers with new protection.
Puppy mills, said HS Executive Director Sharon Harmon, “are immediately recognized as abusive at best to downright cruel by anyone seeing the conditions first hand.” The new legislation would set minimum sizes for animal crates and mandate minimum exercise periods for dogs.
“For most of us, keeping a dog in a wire cage where he can only stand, lie down and turn around is unconscionable. But that would be a big improvement for many dogs in puppy mills in Oregon," Harmon told a House committee on Feb. 23.
Consumer Protection
The first hearings on the bill were held Feb. 23 by the House Committee on Consumer Protection. The bill restricts the size of puppy mills to a maximum of 25 sexually intact dogs four months or older and
establishes space and exercise requirements when more than 10 breeding dogs are present at a puppy mill.
It also protects consumers with a tracking system which give buyers of sick or deformed animals a way to recover damages if the seller did not disclose congenital defects at the time of purchase.
| "Legitimate breeders should have no trouble complying with the barest of minimum standards."
--Sharon Harmon, testifying on the Puppy Protection Act
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Harmon said the law, likely to be opposed by many in the puppy breeding industry, sets only minimum standards in response to a history of abuse and fraud by puppy mills in Oregon.
“Legitimate breeders should have no trouble complying with what are the barest of minimum standards in this bill.”
Make Your Voice Heard
The bill passed the House on April 14 by a 43-13 vote (see voting record), but still faces a fight in the senate. ad more about the legislation below and contact your elected officials to voice your opinion.
She urged Oregon voters to contact their elected representatives in Salem and urge them to support HR 2470, the Puppy Protection Act (full text). See below to learn how easy it is to contact lawmakers in Salem.
Harmon also applauded the lawmakers who are sponsoring the bill, a group that includes:Representatives Peter Buckley, D-Ashland; Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis; Paul Holvey, D-Eugene; Larry Galizio, D-Tigard; Bill Garrard, R-Klamath Falls; Gregg Matthews, D-Gresham; Mike Shaulfler; D-Happy Valley; Brad Witt, D-Clatskanie, and Senators Peter Courtney, D-Salem; Vicki Walker, D-Eugene; and Floyd Prozanski, D-South Lane and North Douglas.
Contact your Elected Officials
Although letters and phone calls are most effective, emails can also be sent. The Oregon State Legislature makes it easy to contact your elected officials with the following tools:
- Call your legislator at (800) 332-2313 (in Salem call 503/986-1187). The staff answering this number will look up who your legislator is and direct you call to their office.
- Write a letter. Visit here to find the name and contact information for your Senator and Representative;
- Send an email to your elected official (this tool will automatically route your message to your Senator or Representative, even if you don't know who they are).
To keep informed of future legislation, watch this Web page or sign up for the OHS Pet Dish e-newsletter.
