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Newly passed pet protection bills will help abused & neglected animals rehabilitate, find homes faster
A newly signed set of Washington laws are a win for animal rights advocates across the state looking to better regulate dog breeding and commercial pet stores.
SNOHOMISH, Wash. - A newly signed set of Washington laws are a win for animal rights advocates across the state looking to better regulate dog breeding and commercial pet stores.
The new pet protection bills will also get abused and neglected animals rehabilitated and into adoptive homes faster.
In some cases, animal advocates at Pasado's Safe Haven say that animals have languished in shelters for years as their abuse or neglect cases made their way through the legal process. A clarification of the law in one of the bills will make a big difference for those animals in future cases.
At Pasado's, Piper has been charming staff and volunteers for about two years now.
Behaviorist Michele Graves says the friendly pup was found blind, her eyes punctured by someone or something.
"She’s happy and healthy. She can’t see, but she navigates the world really well with her nose."
Graves says she's been here for around 800 days and would love to go to a real home, adding that the law often puts dogs like Piper in a state of limbo until cases are resolved.
"The forfeiture law is really important because when we're bringing animals to Pasado’s Safe Haven, and they are live evidence, we are not able to provide anything more than basic medical care," said Graves. "We cannot spay and neuter. We cannot look for an adoptive home. So, they are basically waiting."
With House Bill 1234 newly signed into law, it could help animals like Piper move through the system more quickly. Brenna Anderst, Pasado's Safe Haven Director of Education and Advocacy, says it clarifies a once ambiguous process for re-homing animals seized for abuse and neglect.
"It was making animals unnecessarily languish in shelters for long extended amounts of time, months to even years, and now we will hopefully be seeing those processes improve and animals being worked through the system a lot more quickly," said Anderst.
House Bill 1424 is another bill the Pasado's team was happy to see pass. It's going to close a loophole that essentially exempted some breeders, licensed by the USDA before 2009, from complying with Washington Law.
"Pet stores that continue to sell puppies in Washington will be required to source from Washington breeders that meet Washington state’s commercial dog breeding standards," said Anderst.
The newly passed laws also eliminate deceptive pricing and financing practices at pet stores.
Bill could crack down on WA pet stores who source dogs from out-of-state puppy mills
Pet stores will no longer be able to source their dogs from out-of-state puppy mills or offer loans for people to purchase their pets if a bill that passed the Washington State Senate this week becomes law.
"It basically is protecting people who are interested in purchasing a puppy from a pet store from really deceptive finance practices that can really hurt consumers in terms of the price and the quality of the puppies they are purchasing," said Anderst. "Taking advantage of that emotional moment, to get them to sign deceptive financing agreements, that leaves them on the hook for very high financing rates. Some of them even close to 200% interest."
Sophie is another Pasado's dog that was rescued during a hoarding and neglect case.
"When Sophie got here, she was scared and shut down and barely lift her head. Now, she will approach and investigate and smile in the dog park," said Graves.
The new laws go into effect in July. Graves hopes that they help animals like Sophie and Piper find their forever homes sooner.
"We love having her here, but when she finds her forever home, we’ll be able to save another life," said Graves.
If you'd like to give an animal like Sophie or Piper a home, Graves and Anderst say that Pasado's Safe Haven currently has a number of dogs, cats and farm animals on its adoption page that are available for adoption.
"Check out the animals they have available, so you can bring some of this joy into your home and I will support you to make that the best transition possible for everyone in your family," said Graves.