{"id":1016,"date":"2018-01-02T23:59:02","date_gmt":"2018-01-02T23:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lbpost.com\/articles\/life\/pets\/two-new-pet-laws-in-effect-for-new-year-a-third-being-groomed-for-2019\/"},"modified":"2018-01-02T23:59:02","modified_gmt":"2018-01-02T23:59:02","slug":"two-new-pet-laws-in-effect-for-new-year-a-third-being-groomed-for-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/pets\/two-new-pet-laws-in-effect-for-new-year-a-third-being-groomed-for-2019","title":{"rendered":"Two New Pet Laws in Effect for New Year; a Third Being Groomed for 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Last year, California passed a landmark law that made it illegal to sell commercially bred dogs, cats and rabbits. The law applies only to sales in retail establishments, which traditionally obtain animals from puppy mills<\/a>\u00a0or other large-scale commercial-animal-breeding operations. The law doesn\u2019t apply to licensed, legitimate breeders.<\/p>\n

Thanks to the unflagging determination of Assemblymember Patrick O\u2019Donnell (D-Long Beach) and Social Compassion in Legislation<\/a>\u00a0founder Judie Mancuso, the Pet Rescue and Adoption Act<\/a> (AB 485), was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown<\/a>\u00a0on October 13 of last year. The act became law on January 1, but if you\u2019re planning on dashing down to the nearest pet store today, there\u2019s no guarantee that you\u2019ll be paying an adoption fee rather than an inflated price for a mill-bred pet. AB 485 won\u2019t go into effect until January 1, 2019, to give the pet-store owners time to transition. Check for source information, which is required to be displayed on the kennel or cage and in the possession of the store owner.<\/p>\n

A Pet Is Not a Porsche<\/h1>\n

\"Pet<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

Photo by Adrenalinapura.<\/i><\/p>\n

Two other animal-friendly measures that passed during 2017 did take effect on January 1 of this year. One of them is AB 1491 (Caballero, D-Salinas), the Ban on Pet Leasing.<\/p>\n

Yes, pet leasing. That phrase might give the shudders to even the most marginal of pet lovers. The ASPCA describes it as a \u201cdisturbing trend\u201d\u2014a predatory financial arrangement that seems to make the sale of an expensive pet more accessible. New owners are offered a \u201clow monthly payment\u201d that is often padded with interest and large fees. Animal laws are continually moving away from the \u201cpets are property\u201d mindset, and AB 1491 moves right along with it. But the Pet and Rescue Act won\u2019t be in effect for a year, so people who choose to buy a commercially bred pet should be aware of this practice.<\/p>\n

An article on the ASPCA website, \u201cPuppies for Sale or Lease<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0explains that puppies and other young animals soon become \u201coutmoded\u201d if they don\u2019t sell when they\u2019re young and adorable. In order to get rid of this \u201cshopworn\u201d merchandise, pet stores offer potential owners a low monthly fee that inflates the already big-ticket price through added costs. But that\u2019s not the worst of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of these financing arrangements are not just high-interest payment plans,\u201d the article explains. \u201cThey are actually leases, meaning the new family does not legally own the dog. Technically, the leasing company owns the dog for the entire length of the lease, which might last several years.\u00a0At the end of the lease term, the customer can own the dog outright\u2014for an additional payment, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ban on Pet Leasing will render void any contract made after January 1 of this year. The customer will subsequently be considered the pet\u2019s owner\u2014in this case, the idea of \u00a0pets as property may work to an advantage\u2014and as such will be entitled to the return of all amounts paid under the contract. However, this applies only to contracts signed in the store and not to an unsecured loan such as a credit card purchase or a loan secured outside the store. In this case, a beloved pooch can still be repossessed. So before you buy an overpriced dog, cat or rabbit, caveat emptor<\/i>\u2014buyer, beware. And there are always shelters and rescues where there will be a nominal fee charged, but it\u2019s considerably lower than pet-store prices, and it covers spay\/neuter, vaccinations and microchips.<\/p>\n

Home, Sweet Home for a Few More<\/h1>\n

\"PEts<\/p>\n

Photo by Javier Brosch.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cKeeping people and pets together frees up critical shelter space and supplies for other animals in need,\u201d said Susan Riggs, senior director of State Legislation for the ASPCA, Western Region. \u201cAB 1137 will open up thousands of housing opportunities for families so they aren\u2019t forced to make the impossible choice between their pets and their homes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Riggs is referring to the Housing Developments: Pet Permissibility Bill, which takes a nip, if not a huge bite, out of the struggle that renters have trying to find a pet-friendly dwelling. AB 1137 (Maienschien, R-San Diego) mandates the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to require that any affordable-housing development of five or more units financed after January 1 of this year allow any resident to keep one or more household pets.<\/p>\n

Pets would be defined as cats, dogs and rabbits. Existing law prohibits not allowing an elderly person or a person requiring supportive services to keep pets, with a limit of two animals.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no language in the bill\u2019s text regarding number or weight, but Assemblymember Maienschien\u2019s office said that AB 1137 authorizes, but does not require, HCD to provide additional guidance in implementation of the law. This could include restrictions on the number or size of pets given the size or configuration of particular housing developments or other regulations that conform with the intent of the law. Administrative regulations would require public noticing and input prior to adoption.<\/p>\n

Since state law prohibits breed-specific laws, no development may prohibit pit bulls or any other animal breed; however, size restrictions may render this moot.<\/p>\n

The Long Beach Development Services office identified two developments that are applying for funding from HCD. The Spark at Midtown Apartments, 1900 Long Beach Boulevard<\/a>, will include 95 units, and Las Ventanas Apartments at 1795 Long Beach Boulevard<\/a> will constitute 101 units. State income levels for qualification as a low-income renter are multileveled and vary yearly, as they are contingent on the area median income<\/a> [AMI]).<\/p>\n

\u201cI am all for this law\u2014I have met so many homeless people with pets who refuse to leave them and go to a shelter or cannot find affordable housing to accept pets,\u201d said animal activist and rescuer Diana Kliche. \u201cThere\u2019s a homeless veteran in Long Beach with two older larger pits who lives in his car because he can’t find anywhere to take them within his budget. Section 8 is paid for with our taxes, so there can certainly be rules on accepting the vouchers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"HOmeless\"<\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n

Photo by R. Carner.<\/i><\/p>\n

There\u2019s no doubt that AB 1137 literally opens doors to more residents who won\u2019t need to make the choice between surrendering their beloved pet and living with them in unsatisfactory conditions. Others, however, who either don\u2019t qualify for affordable housing or choose not to live in a large complex have a struggle finding a place that will allow them to keep a pet. Long Beach resident Christina Lopriore said that she has experienced the hassles of finding a place that would take both her small dogs and that it costs her a small fortune in fees and \u201cpet rent\u201d to keep them in her life. She isn\u2019t alone.<\/p>\n

And, frequently, size does matter.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s incredibly hard to find a rental that is affordable and allows dogs over 30 pounds, never mind the ones with breed restrictions,\u201d said animal advocate Pam Rainsdon, who\u2019s been there personally with her large girl, Victoria. \u201cTake a look at all the animals that end up in the shelter because housing with their animals was nonexistent or unaffordable.\u201d<\/p>\n

ASPCA\u00a0research<\/a>\u00a0seems to indicate that housing that doesn\u2019t permit animals is a primary reason that renters rehome their pets, frequently relinquishing them to shelters. Approximately 18 percent of L.A. shelters\u2014over 300,000 cats and dogs\u2014were surrendered because of relocation. The City of Long Beach Animal Care Services <\/a>\u00a0(ACS)\u00a0has a comparably smaller sample to work with, but last year\u2019s owner-relinquished pets totaled 588 for dogs and 291 for cats. Out of these numbers, 29 cats and 58 dogs were relinquished because of a move. At nearly 10 percent for cats and almost 20 percent for dogs, the percentages aren\u2019t eye-popping, but the numbers themselves do paint a picture\u2014that\u2019s nearly 90 a year. And considering that ACS\u2019s total live intakes were 2,464 for dogs and 3,472 for cats, you could suppose that some of the shelter pickups were abandoned when the owners moved.<\/p>\n

Kliche, herself a pet-friendly landlord, hopes that the new law will set an example for others.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have always rented to people with pets, and we don\u2019t have a weight limit,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have never had an issue with anyone who had pets destroying anything or not paying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Living with animals can be a wonderful experience, especially if we choose to learn the valuable lessons animals teach through their natural enthusiasm, grace, resourcefulness, affection and forgiveness.<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

~ Richard H. Pitcairn<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While the Pet Rescue and Adoption Act, which made it illegal to sell commercially bred dogs, cats and rabbits, won’t go into effect until 2019, these two pet laws went into effect New Year’s Day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":66490,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[39],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-1016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pets","tag-scratching-post","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1016","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1016"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1016\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1016"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=1016"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=1016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}