A Letter To The Editor: PET STORE LAWS

Joe,  Many people will be buying from Pet Stores

this year.   Not knowing where these puppies come from and suspecting  most come from Puppy Mills  it's wise for the purchaser  to KNOW what the Laws of Maryland require  Pet Shops to supply  the buyer with concerning the background of the puppy they are buying   & recourses they  have should the puppy be defective in any way.  These Laws

went into effect  a year ago. 

The below information is given by the HSUS

 An undercover investigation by The Humane Society of the United States and ReLove Animals, Inc., found most of the pet stores in Maryland that sell puppies are apparently not fully complying with a law designed to provide shoppers with information about the origin of their puppies. In September 2013, investigators visited 12 puppy-selling pet stores in Maryland. Specifically, investigators checked to see if the stores were fulfilling the requirement that ----they “post conspicuously on each dog's cage” the “state in which the breeder or dealer of the dog is located” and “the United States Department of Agriculture license number of the breeder or dealer.    This information is important because it could be used by a consumer to find out if the puppy they are considering purchasing may have come from a dealer (otherwise known as a broker) or breeder with a problematic animal welfare history. The law has been effective for the past yr.!

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 As for a dog being AKC Registered one would

think this  registration is a seal of quality for puppies.

Some  sellers use it as a marketing tool & buyers learn the hard way AKC Reg. is never a guarantee  nor even an indication of quality!!  No one inspects the parent dog or puppies to see if they're  qualified for registration!!

AKC depends on the breeder to be honest when applying for a litters registration.   It's not uncommon that Puppy Mill Dogs show an AKC registration leaving the buyer to think they've purchased a superior quality puppy.

Maryland & many other States have laws  to protect the buyer, called  "Puppy  Lemon Laws. "

Here are the Laws for the State of Maryland for Purchasers Protection Rights

  https://www.animallaw.info/statute/md-pet-sales-pet-purchaser-protection#s705 

 At the time of sale, or at the request of a bona fide prospective purchaser, a retail pet store must provide a written record that includes the date of birth, breed, markings, dealer/breeder information, registration information, and all inoculations, worming treatments, and other medical treatments, if known, including the date of the medical treatment, the diagnoses, and the name and title of the treatment provider.

MD BUS REG§19-703(a)(2)
The retail pet store must also provide a health certificatefrom a veterinarian licensed certifying that the dog (i) has no known disease, illness, or congenital or hereditary condition which is diagnosable with reasonable accuracy; and (ii) that the dog does not appear to be clinically ill from parasitic infection at the time of the examination;
MD BUS REG §19-704(a)(1)
The retail pet store must provide a statement ofpurchasers rights to the purchaser under this subtitle.
MD BUS REG §19-704(a)(

  Illness:If within 7 days after the date of the sale, the person had the dog examined by a veterinarian licensed in the State and, within 14 days after the date of the sale, the licensed veterinarian states in writing that the dog suffers from or has died of a disease or illness adversely affecting the health of the dog and that existed in the dog on or before the date of delivery to the purchaser, the purchaser is entitled to remedies.
MD BUS REG §19-705(a)(1)(i) or
Congenital Condition:
If within 180 days after the date of the sale, a licensed veterinarian states in writing that the dog possesses or has died of a congenital or hereditary condition adversely affecting the health of the dog or that requires hospitalization or a non elective surgical procedure, the purchaser is entitled to remedies.
MD BUS REG §19-705(a)(1)(ii)