[k9mania]

Dog-breeder regulations advance

Niki Kelly

The Journal Gazette


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INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Senate voted 46-3 Tuesday to regulate the state’s commercial dog breeders and brokers for the first time.
“The dog business in Indiana has become a multimillion-dollar business,” said Sen. Teresa Lubbers, R-Indianapolis. “This addresses consumer and dog protection without harming smaller businesses.”
All northeast Indiana legislators voted for House Bill 1468, which would establish a registry of commercial dog breeders and brokers with the Board of Animal Health along with registration fees.
It defines commercial dog breeders as anyone having more than 20 unaltered female adult dogs, but there is no cap on the number of dogs a breeder can have.
The legislation also requires breeders to abide by U.S. Department of Agriculture standards of care and to keep veterinary records. Senators on Monday added a restriction on the use of wire cages and a requirement that breeders provide every dog with a reasonable opportunity for exercise at least once a day.
“After listening to testimony and actually seeing the size of cages, it became clear to me there was a problem with a dog living in a wire cage their whole life,” Lubbers said.
The bill also defines brokers as anyone selling more than 500 dogs in one year, and it tightens Indiana’s animal cruelty law.


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