Monday, March 4, 2013

Let's Help Our Neighbors In Illinois....

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Act By Tuesday To Stick Up For Mill Dogs!
  
LEGISLATIVE ALERT!
ILLINOIS NEEDS A "PUPPY LEMON LAW"!

The "Puppy Lemon Law" known as Senate Bill 1639 (SB1639) will be heard in committee on Tuesday in Springfield.

It is CRUCIAL that the committee members hear from  Illinois residents that support this bill!

The pet "lemon law," will provide civil remedies for consumers who purchase sick or genetically defective puppies. The bill would allow consumers to seek a refund, replacement and/or reimbursement of necessary veterinary costs if they purchased an animal with an undisclosed disease or illness, while allowing sellers to contest the remedy. The bill also requires pet shops to notify customers and the state veterinarian of any significant outbreaks of contagious diseases

Why is this law needed in Illinois?
  • Consumer Protection: 17 states currently have pet lemon laws. In Illinois, pet stores are required to disclose certain information about a pet's health history to customers, but customers have no recourse if they  purchase sick animals unknowingly from a pet store or online.
     
  • Protect Public Health: Many animal diseases and parasites are contagious to humans and other animals -- such as giardia, which can causes severe gastrointestinal distress, and brucellosis, which can cause miscarriages. Some of these diseases were previously rare in domestic canines, but have been making a comeback due to the lack of adequate disease management at puppy mills. Many of these diseases are not immediately symptomatic, so a purchaser may be unaware that they are buying a sick animal.
     
  • A 2012 outbreak of canine distemper was traced directly to a chain of 5 Chicago area pet stores.The stores continued to sell puppies to the public during the outbreak without warning buyers that their puppies may have been exposed to the disease. Over a two month period, ten confirmed cases of canine distemper were discovered in puppies purchased from the Happiness is Pets chain of stores. While distemper is not contagious to humans, it is highly contagious among dogs and most of the infected puppies died. Prior to this outbreak, canine distemper had nearly been eradicated in most parts of Illinois.
     
  • Protect Animal Health and Welfare: Pet stores acquire their dogs from large scale commercial breeding operations, or "puppy mills," which often keep their dogs in shockingly poor conditions. Documented care problems at puppy mills include overbreeding, inbreeding, minimal veterinary care, poor quality of food and shelter, lack of socialization with humans, overcrowded cages, and the killing of unwanted animals. To the unwitting consumer, this frequently means buying an animal with immediate veterinary needs - or an animal with a genetic disease that will not appear until years later.
YOUR ACTION IS NEEDED by Tuesday March the 5th!
The Labor and Commerce Committee will determine if SB1639 will be heard by the Illinois General Assembly. Please call the committee members below asking for his/her support of SB1639. All you need to say is "I am an Illinois resident and I am calling to ask for the Senator's support of SB1693, the Puppy Lemon Law.

Labor and Commerce Committee Meeting: 3/5/13 6:00 pm

Gary Forby                                                                59th District                                   217-782-5509
Linda Holmes                                                           42nd District                                  217-782-0422
Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant                                           49th District                                   217-782-0052
Thomas Cullerton                                                    23rd District                                   217-782-9463
Bill Cunningham                                                       18th District                                   217-782-5145
Napoleon Harris III                                                   15th District                                   217-782-8066
Toi Hutchinson                                                         40th District                                   217-782-7419
Steven Landek                                                         12th District                                   217-782-0054
Iris Martinez                                                             20th District                                   217-782-8191
Kwame Raoul                                                          13th District                                   217-782-5338
Patricia Van Pelt                                                      5th District                                     217-782-6252
Jim Oberweis                                                           25th District                                   217-782-0471
Pamela Althoff                                                         32nd District                                  217-782-8000
Michael Connelly                                                     21st District                                   217-782-8192
Dan Duffy                                                                 26th District                                   217-782-8010
Kyle McCarter                                                          54th District                                   217-782-5755

TO IDENTIFY YOUR STATE SENATOR BY USING YOUR ZIP CODE VISIT: humanesociety.org/leglookup 
Thank you for your support and thank you for caring about Illinois consumers!

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