Puppy Mill Bill Takes Effect Saturay
The new law will regulate dog breeders. Photo courtesy flickr.com/chrisgoldAudio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
By Kelly Connelly
A handful of Texas laws take effect September 1. They range from new guidelines for childcare facilities, to new guidelines for bakers who work from home. One of the new guidelines is known as the “puppy mill bill.”
That bill, sponsored by state Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Austin, requires dog breeders to carry licenses. Parts of the law went into effect a year ago, but by Saturday morning breeders must have a license.
“What people are afraid of is that tomorrow they will have to stop if they don’t have a license, which is not true at all, or that they’d be in trouble come Sept. 1 if they didn’t have a license,” said Colleen Tran, Thompson’s spokeswoman. “The first year is going to be hard. Just getting the rules together took a year.”
Other requirements must be met to keep the license. For one, facilities will have to be inspected.
Thompson’s hope is that these rules will cut down on cases of animal cruelty by breeders.
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