April is national Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month, an important opportunity to raise awareness about mistreatment, abuse and neglect towards animals — and how we can advocate for change. As a pillar of animal welfare services in San Diego County, the San Diego Humane Society is currently leading legislative efforts to protect animals in our community and beyond.
This past fall, an in-depth investigation by the Los Angeles Times revealed widespread fraud and abuse within California’s puppy market. The study found that people claiming to be small, local breeders were in fact importing truckloads of puppies from mass breeders in the Midwest. At a time when California shelters are overrun with dogs in need of new homes, consumers are being led astray by marketing tactics when searching for a new companion.
In response to these disturbing findings, San Diego Humane Society is sponsoring three legislative proposals that will increase transparency and consumer protections while stemming the flow of mill-bred puppies into California:
Senate Bill 312, the Puppy Importation Transparency Act authored by Senator Tom Umberg, mandates that dog importers electronically submit health certificates to the California Department of Food and Agriculture within 10 days of shipment, to be made publicly available. Assembly Bill 506, the Protecting Pets from Predatory Practices Act, authored by Assemblymember Steve Bennett, voids deceptive contracts between consumers and pet brokers that require nonrefundable deposits or fail to disclose the animal’s original source before purchase. Assembly Bill 519, the Closing the “Pet Broker” Loophole Act, authored by Assemblymember Marc Berman, bans pet brokering in California by defining brokers as any entity that profits from selling animals bred by another party.On April 29, San Diego Humane Society leadership will travel to Sacramento for Animal Advocacy Day and urge lawmakers to support these critical measures and others. Animal Advocacy Day, co-hosted by San Diego Humane Society and other leading national animal welfare organizations, will serve as a platform to ensure legislators hear the collective voice of animal advocates.
“Consumers deserve complete transparency about the flood of puppies entering our state — this is not just about protecting people from unhealthy pets, but about stopping the cruel pipeline from puppy mills,” said Dr. Gary Weitzman, president and CEO of San Diego Humane Society. “These bills are critical to strengthen California’s pet sales ban, and they will help us shut down the inhumane practices that exploit animals for profit.”
Supporting these legislative efforts is just one of many ways that San Diego Humane Society helps make San Diego the safest place to be an animal. To learn more about their advocacy work and how you can get involved, visit sdhumane.org/advocacy.
Julianna Tetlow is senior director of government relations for the San Diego Humane Society.
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