A Tale of Three Bills...

There are currently three bills making their way through the Minnesota Legislature that address puppy / kitten mills in Minnesota. Pet Haven supports H.F. 235 / S.F. 7. because the bill best addresses problems of inhumane breeding in Minnesota. See our previous blog post or visit animalfolksmn.org for more in depth information about this important legislation. Both bills are currently making their way through the legislative process.

Now a bit about the other two bills…
Representatives Al Juhnke and Senator Sharon Erickson Ropes introduced HF573 and SF500, “Minnesota Puppy and Kitten Mill Cruelty Prevention Act.” See the Minnesota State Legislative website for details about this bill.

While HF573 / SF500 includes some good measures, HF235 / SF7 reaches more animals. Pet Haven’s specific concerns with HF573 / SF500 include the following:

• Some of the language in the bill does not work with Minnesota's existing animal welfare statutes.


• The bill also introduces new terms and some detrimental requirements, which will cause confusion.


• In certain areas, the bill does not give proper direction to the Board of Animal Health.


• The bill does not cover any breeder with under 40 breeding animals -- 40 breeding animals (with litters from each) translates to over 400 animals per kennel. (HF253/S7 licenses facilities with 6 or more intact females used for the purpose of breeding.)
  The bill exempts (from the count of the 40 breeding animals) animals under 9 months of age. This detail is important because those animals are of breeding age, further increasing the number of animals exempted from any oversight.

Senator Steve Dille introduced a second competing bill SF201 for a "Dog and Cat Breeders Act." See the Minnesota Legislative website for details about this bill. Pet Haven’s specific concerns with SF201 include the following:

• The bill is a registration-only bill. Similar to feedlots, dog and cat breeders would not be licensed annually but instead would only be registered once every four years.


• The bill covers breeders with 20 or more intact breeding females; as with HF573/SF500, this reduces the number of animals protected.


• The bill requires inspections to be complaint-based, which is the current system. Rather than annual inspections, a Good Samaritan would have to file a complaint before authorities could enter the property.


• The bill takes "humane agents" out of the language for inspections and enforcement and inserts "feedlot inspectors."


• Regarding animal seizure, the bill only allows the "affected" animals to be seized.

Continue to visit the blog for more updates. Special thanks to Pet Haven Vice President Amanda for her help in compiling this information!