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Sunday, January 04, 2015

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
 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)

26 comments:

  1. Sorry,but if I fall in love with a dog game over.I couldn't care less where it came from.

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  2. Thanks for posting this.

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  3. Cat connection in pet smart has sick cats! They take them to a vet once and that's it. They give you medicine without a vet say so and after weeks of listening to them the animals get worse causing the new owners to spend hundreds and thousands at times. Beware! They said they have a lot of cats and can only afford so much. If that's the case, I applaud your thought but strongly disagree! If they can't care for animals properly they need to be shut down! Or down sized to a manageable population in their org!

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  4. The healthyist dogs are mutts,pure bred dogs are so inter bred most have health issues.

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  5. Buying from a pet store encourages puppy mills to stay in business.

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  6. Save a pound puppy. Rescue dogs are the best.

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  7. It's a shame all who are interested in pets can't see what
    happens at puppy mills. If you
    support buying from a place where you can't see the parents & environment----then you can bet
    the pups are from a Mill.

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  8. For those of you who've purchased
    from a Pet Store it's good to know what the Laws of Maryland
    are as to protection of the one buying the dog. That is what this article is about---Purchasers
    rights when buying fron a Pet Store & the Laws the Pet Store should go by!!!

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  9. 12:56
    I would have to say to you---
    visit a Puppy Mill
    where most All Pet Store dogs
    come from & if there is love in
    your heart for a dog---you definitely will care about where
    your new pet will be coming from!!

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  10. If the one selling the dogs don't give you information about the dogs & the USDA # isn't displayed on
    the dogs cages---plus giving you a slip on your rights as purchaser--you know from reading these MD State Laws for Pet Stores --these pups are coming from Mills where inbreeding,inhumane conditions, lack of care etc. runs rampid for
    the helpless creatures who are kept in open wire cages for their
    entire lives!

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  11. 2:16 pm
    Cat Connection isn't a Pet Store so they don't come under The State
    Laws quoted here. The way I understand it---Cat Connection is granted space to display the cats to help them find homes which is very nice of Pet Smart to do.When
    you
    purchase any of these animals, yes you will be at risk.

    The Maryland Laws apply only to Pet Stores selling pups. These
    animals come with or should I say, as
    the Law states, should have a specific guarantee to the purchaser should something happen to the pup after purchase!!

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    Replies
    1. I know! I just saw an opportunity to share .

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  12. Yes, I say support your Humane Society & Rescue Groups anyway!

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    Replies
    1. Anyway? Why support a group who takes in animals that can't afford to receive proper medical treatment? Seems inhumane to me. I've seen how fast a "cold or allergy" can spread among cats. And the cost of a sick cat needing eye amputations , anti biotics and other treatments from wrong dosing of meds and lack of professional care is painful and costly. Many times people adopt animals with guaranteed health. And ultimately are forced to spend a lot of money on the animal so their children aren't traumatized in the end. And I am familiar with cat connection and how they operate. Their organization needs to be looked at by the ASPCA and Worcester CO Humane Society.

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  13. I know a lady who bought from the Pet Store in SBY. She recieved no number from the USDA , nor any Real info about the dog---and this
    has been recently!!
    Nothing was done as to what the
    MD State Laws are requiring the
    Stores to do!

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  14. Joe, I Thank You so much for putting this information out there
    to the public!!

    EW

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  15. Remember----A responsible Breeder will let you see the environment the animal is raised in, the parents of the dog, a health guarantee for so long and----
    If they Don't----Then you can suspect the pup is a "Mill Dog."

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  16. I know Pet Stores need to make a living----BUT------Please do not
    buy dogs from them! Go to a
    responsible Breeder who wants to
    know where their pups are going!!

    Puppy Mill Dogs live a horrid life, they're bred every heat cycle . I fostered dogs from Puppy Mills. One had 12 tumors on her mamalary glands which came from having constant puppies nursing ! Her
    feet were swollen & bleeding from
    walking on the open wire cages, she had never had any Vet care, teeth had to be extracted---she was a pathetic sight. Care & love brought this girl back to the adorable silky terrior she was ment to be & finally a forever home was found for her with a family who gave her the life she deserved!!

    Fall in love with a Pet Store Pup??
    Yes that's easy to do----But just remember----that little puppys Mother looked the same as it one day----before The Puppy Mill owner used up her life for breeding---& will then kill them when they no longer produce

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  17. Hopefully people will use this knowledge to pass on to others so
    they will have some recourse if they bought a Pet Store pup that's ill or has a congential disease--and many do have because of in-breeding.

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  18. Look on line for Rescue Groups
    that have Specific type dogs .
    That's the way to go or else at
    your Humane Society.

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  19. I got a puppy from the pound a couple of years ago. It was sick and they (the pound) took care of all the bills. They did a great job and I have a great dog.

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  20. Very Interesting read about the
    "AKC" People really think they're getting a superior dog
    when they see that the dogs registered with them. It's
    good to have these Truths out
    for the public to know--Thanks!

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  21. @ 2:16 Yes...you are 100% correct & me (as a come-here), I was unaware so we purchased cat and year later rescued another from Wicomico SPCA. We were unaware the "first born" (pets smart) had feline AIDS. The pets smart cat passed on FIP (feline aids) to newly adopted SPCA kitten.
    @6:21 that's good, great... grand, but 2:16 & I are talking CATS. I love dogs but our issue is with cat adoption.

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    Replies
    1. It has happened to a lot of people. Their doctor ....Dr Pappas in Delmar De said she hasn't seen this cat in two years. It was a little cat they passed off as an older kitten. And Mrs workman saidshe has allergies! Turns out if the cat was looked at its eye was misshaped and required surgery or it would burst ! Poor cat had been suffering! They need investigated!

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  22. If you must have a pure breed first look into shelters and contact rescue groups. These beautiful dogs are purchased for a lot of money and then people find it takes to much time and patience to have them so they end up at shelters. Puppy mills are awful. These dogs have no life. They just live in cages and are not taken good care of. The females are breed over and over again until they are to old then disposed of. If you love dogs pure or mixed why would you want to keep puppy mills in business . If you can't find the pure breed you are looking for contact the Kennel Club to find a good breeder.

    ReplyDelete

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