Washington cracks down on puppy mills
Washington State is cracking down on puppy mills. On New Year’s Day, they enacted a law aimed at eliminating them. How? This new law imposes tougher standards on dog breeders.
In a nutshell, Washington is making it illegal for a dog breeder to own more than 50 dogs over the ages of six months. Also, specific requirements are now in place for the size of cages, cleanliness and room temperatures. Harsher penalties will apply to those who fail in these areas.
This new law appears to be in direct response to prior puppy mill raids in Washington. One memorable one was only a year ago near Gold Bar. There, more than 160 dogs in poor health were rescued from horrible living conditions. Owners were charged with six counts of animal cruelty. The hope is to avoid another case like this one.
Other laws were enacted also on New Year’s Day in Washington. One deals specifically with payday loan facilities. Apparently, the state that gave us alternative music, ‘grunge’ attire and the Space Needle is finally going straight. They are saying ‘no’ to all of those business practices that hurt animals and people.
In a nutshell, Washington is making it illegal for a dog breeder to own more than 50 dogs over the ages of six months. Also, specific requirements are now in place for the size of cages, cleanliness and room temperatures. Harsher penalties will apply to those who fail in these areas.
This new law appears to be in direct response to prior puppy mill raids in Washington. One memorable one was only a year ago near Gold Bar. There, more than 160 dogs in poor health were rescued from horrible living conditions. Owners were charged with six counts of animal cruelty. The hope is to avoid another case like this one.
Other laws were enacted also on New Year’s Day in Washington. One deals specifically with payday loan facilities. Apparently, the state that gave us alternative music, ‘grunge’ attire and the Space Needle is finally going straight. They are saying ‘no’ to all of those business practices that hurt animals and people.
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