Virginia law requires oversight of a dog’s history when they enter a shelter, but private pet shops have avoided such scrutiny… until now. Or at least until a new bill from one Southside Senator gets the okay from the governor.
“What we’re trying to do ultimately is make sure these dogs don’t end up in our pounds,” Senator Bill Stanley told a House committee meeting on agriculture Wednesday morning.
He was defending his effort that would expand oversight of sold dogs, tracking their history and the like, to pet shops. It’s an effort he hopes will address puppy mills that breed unhealthy pups.
Heidi Meinzer is with the Virginia Federation of Humane Societies. She represents 175 shelters across the state. She said most shelters are subject to existing inspections and the civil fines that come with violations, but this bill would add 18 private pet shops to the list. She said it’s a good first step in protecting more dogs across the state.
“This does some record keeping, it's not quite parity, it’s what we’ve been doing for decades, reporting, and we hope to build on this to get more parity, but we do appreciate the senators' efforts in the compromise.”
After the committee voted unanimously to advance the bill Stanley told Radio IQ it was part of a long-time interest, he’s had in supporting man’s best friend. As for the success of the bill…
“Today’s bill was great. Not a lot of people were howling about it," Stanley said. "And it wasn’t rough to get out.”
The effort next heads to the House floor and, pending a successful vote, could be sent to the governor's desk as early as next week.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
