Update July 10, 2008: This bill has passed the Arizona legislature, and Governor Janet Napolitano has signed it into law! Â
Read Animal Law Coalition’s earlier report for more information on this new law to ban roadside sales of animals and limit backyard breeding. Also, click here to read about Fort Worth, Texas’ new ordinance banning roadside sales of animals.
Update May 21, 2008: This bill has passed the House and is pending in the Arizona Senate. Click here to find and contact Arizona Senators including your own if you live in Arizona. Urge them to vote yes on H.B. 2485 to limit backyard commercial breeders.
Original report: A ban on sale of animals along roads or in parks or other public property is making its way through the Arizona legislature. The bill, H.B. 2485, would also make it illegal to sell animals on commercial property without the owner’s permission.
The bill does not apply to pet stores or humane groups and animal welfare, educational or agricultural organizations.
The bill targets backyard breeders of which there are estimated to be thousands in Arizona. Backyard breeders that sell direct to the public are not regulated by the USDA. It is not the only way these breeders sell their dogs, but the Arizona Humane Society fields hundreds of complaints each year about breeders selling their animals on roadsides and other public places.
The animals are usually deprived of even the most basic care. People who buy animals in these situations usually find they have an ill or diseased pet that costs hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in veterinary care with no recourse against the seller who is long gone.