Proposed Puppy Lemon Law

Earlier this year, legislators in Illinois proposed a puppy lemon law, SB1639, which could promote legal actions against puppy mills. The act would require pet stores to disclose certain information about the dogs (and cats) sold, including the date and description of any shots or medical treatments, and the name and business address of the facility where the animal was born.

Pet owners are often understandably dismayed when they discover their newly purchased cat or dog suffers from a serious or even life-threatening illness.  Puppies and kittens bred in puppy mill conditions can suffer a wide range of medical problems. The act would afford owners some legal recourse against pet stores in such situations.

Under the proposed act, a customer is entitled to a remedy if within 21 days a veterinarian states that the dog or cat has a disease that existed before the delivery date to the customer. Customers are also entitled to a remedy if within one year the dog or cat dies of a congenital or hereditary disease.

Remedies under the proposed act include returning the pet, exchanging the pet for another one, retaining the pet and being reimbursed for veterinary bills, or if the dog or cat is dead, being reimbursed for the full purchase price plus veterinary bills.

For more information on this proposed law, and its relation to puppy mills, read the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s blog post.