After A Long Struggle For The Cause Wisconsin Governor Signs Puppy Mill Bill

With so many groups like the Wisconsin Puppy Mill Project, Inc. and the I-Team investigation of the puppy mills though out the state the Gov. Jim Doyle has finally signed the AB-250 law into affect that will hopefully shut down some of these despicable breeders that we call puppy mills.

Some of the laws are:
The bill requires all of the following to obtain licenses, with limited exceptions:
1. A person who sells 25 or more dogs in a year (including a nonresident who
brings dogs into this state for sale).
2. A person who operates a dog breeding facility (a place at which dogs are bred
and raised) from which 25 or more dogs are sold in a year.
3. A person who operates an auction at which 50 or more dogs are sold or offered
for sale in a year.
4. A person who operates an animal shelter that is used to shelter at least 25
dogs in a year.
5. A person who operates an animal control facility under a contract with a city,
village, town, or county.

Sale of dogs This bill prohibits a licensee from transferring a dog to a buyer before the dog
is seven weeks old. The bill requires a licensee to provide the purchaser of a dog with a copy of the dog’s vaccination records and with a statement from a veterinarian who examined the dog stating that the dog had no infectious or contagious diseases at the time of examination.
The bill prohibits any person from selling at auction a dog that is not spayed or neutered unless the dog has tested negative for brucellosis.
The bill also requires a person who sells or offers to sell a dog at a temporary dog market, such as a flea market, to provide information about the dog to the operator of the temporary dog market. It requires the operator of a temporary dog market to register with DATCP, review and keep the information provided by sellers, and, if dogs are sold or offered for sale on two or more consecutive days, have a veterinarian examine the dogs.
Standards of care The bill requires licensees to provide dogs with adequate food, water, veterinary
care, shelter, and opportunity for exercise. The bill requires enclosures for dogs to be of appropriate size and structurally sound. It requires licensees to keep enclosures clean and to follow restrictions on the use of wire flooring. Under the bill, a licensee must ensure that each dog is observed every day in order to monitor the health and temperament of the dog and provide care as needed.
Enforcement and administration A person who fails to obtain a license required under this bill may be fined not
more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than nine months or both. Violations of other requirements in the bill are punishable by forfeitures (civil monetary penalties). The bill authorizes the use of a citation, which is similar to a traffic ticket, in case of a violation that is punishable by a forfeiture.



Now if we can get the rest of the states to sign on to these bills to help protect our buddies it would be great. So we all must keep on pushing to help stop the puppy mills.