Oregon and Tennessee in June joined Washington state in establishing regulations on dog breeding—including a cap on the number of unsterilized animals that breeders are allowed to keep.

Oregon House Bill 2470, signed by Gov. Ted Kulongoski, spells out exercise, housing and sanitation requirements. Known as the Oregon Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act, it also prohibits persons from having more than 50 intact dogs over the age of 2 years for the primary purpose of reproduction.

The new law, which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2010, also establishes a number of requirements for pet dealers and boarding kennels. A “pet dealer” is defined by the bill as anyone selling five or more litters of dogs during any one-year period. A “boarding kennel” is defined as any facility that provides care for a fee to dogs that stay at the facility an average of less than 30 days.

Pet dealers must disclose the origin of the dog, the number of litters born at the facility in which the dog was born, registration information, a list of all medical treatments and any congenital disorder or hereditary disease of the dog’s parents. Additionally, dogs that are returned and offered for resale must be marked as such.

Dealers also must offer an exchange or refund, or reimbursement of veterinary fees incurred in treating an animal, for puppies that a veterinarian certifies within 15 days of sale to have a health condition that existed at time of sale. The warranty also applies to congenital conditions certified within a year after sale.

In Tennessee, legislation that requires breeders with 20 or more intact adult female dogs or cats to obtain a commercial breeder license—and that limits breeders to 75 unsterilized companion animals—awaited the signature of Gov. Phil Bredesen at press time. The Commercial Breeder Act requires facility inspections and a valid sales tax registration number as a prerequisite for licensure.

The Tennessee law is set to take effect Jan. 1, 2010. [August 2009 PET AGE]