California Bill 702: What You Need to Know

About California Assembly Bill 702

The proposed bill will require anyone who owns an intact dog for the purposes of breeding to obtain a breeder permit. The permit application will require you, as a breeder, to provide: 

• The address of the location where breedings and whelpings occur 
• Your name and home address
• A complete description of the nature and extent of the breeding to be conducted
• A statement that you own the dogs to be bred and that there are no other owners, or, if there are other owners, written statements from the owners that the dog is allowed to be bred
• A copy of a valid health certificate for the dam
• Evidence that the dogs to be bred have microchips
• Evidence that the dam to be bred is between two and seven years of age
• And a statement that you will comply with all applicable rules and regulations regarding breeding and keeping animals on private property

There will also be a fee that must be paid by breeders in exchange for the permit, which is not supposed to exceed the reasonable costs of administering this new bill.

Following your permit application, your local jurisdiction will issue you a breeding permit if you can provide proof that certain conditions are met, including: 

• That you can provide a copy of your business license and federal and state tax number
• That you will provide proper shelter for your dogs, including food and water, and that their living quarters will be properly maintained
• That you will report any puppy birth to your local jurisdiction within ten days of occurrence
• That you will not transfer any puppies until they are eight weeks of age, have been immunized against common diseases, and have been issued a health certificate 
• And that only one litter per year per dog per household may be whelped

We applaud the intention of the proposed bill to crack down on irresponsible sources and practices and decrease the number of dogs that end up in shelters. However, AB 702 will have a negative effect on responsible dog breeders, which will result directly in harm to owners and, most critically, dogs. Responsible dog breeders do not contribute to dog abandonment and are not adding to the shelter/rescue populations. Requiring responsible breeders to apply for a breeder permit that requires a business license and the payment of corresponding fees, places even more onerous restrictions on breeders that are already spending so much of their own time and scarce resources to care for their dogs.

You can read California Assembly Bill 702 in its entirety here.

Good Dog’s Letter to Assemblymember Miguel Santiago

Good Dog respectfully submitted this letter of our concerns regarding Bill 702 to Assemblymember Miguel Santiago, who introduced the bill.

What You Can Do

Contact Assemblymember Miguel Santiago, who authored Bill 702. If you live in his district (the 53rd California Assembly District), be sure to mention this when contacting his office:

Sacramento Office Phone: (916) 319-2053 

Los Angeles District Office Phone: (213) 620-4646

assemblymember.santiago@assembly.ca.gov 

Contact your Assembly Member. Let them know you are a constituent and express your concerns with this bill. You can find your elected officials and their contact information here.

Talking Points

It is critical that Assemblymember Miguel Santiago and your elected official hear directly from responsible breeders about your concerns regarding Bill 702. You can always refer to these talking points and reach out to our team at legal@gooddog.com for more information.

• Breeder permits and business license requirements impose onerous and costly restrictions on responsible breeders. Responsible breeders already invest so much into their dogs, in terms of care, training, health testing, and in the time and effort it takes to place their dogs in responsible homes. Requiring them to apply for and adhere to a breeder permit places even more onerous restrictions on breeders and requires even more additional costs. Responsible breeders will adhere to these new laws, but, given how difficult this program will be in terms of oversight by the state and local jurisdictions, many irresponsible sources will not comply with this and will continue with their irresponsible practices with little risk of being caught.
  
• Responsible breeders are not contributing to dog relinquishment. In fact, they are helping reduce it. Responsible breeders health test their dogs and most require their puppy buyers to sign a contract stating that their dogs can never be brought to shelters and rescues, and instead must be given back to the breeder or rehomed in connection with the breeder if the puppy buyer is ever unable to care for their dog. They also thoroughly screen and vet each person who purchases one of their puppies to ensure they’re making a suitable match that is a good (and permanent) fit.
  
• This bill will place breeders at risk of assault, theft, and other crimes. Many breeders experience acts of violence or verbal abuse just for the very reason that they are breeders and anti-breeder sentiment is prevalent - requiring them to list their private addresses puts them at even greater risk. 
  
• Bills like this, that are onerous on breeders, have the risk of pushing responsible breeders out of breeding completely. This means that, if passed, this bill could mean that potential puppy buyers in California have even less access to responsible sources from where to get a dog. 

We also encourage you to share this article widely because this affects all of us - dog breeders and dog owners and dog lovers everywhere.