Update Aug. 6: The North Carolina puppy mill bill, S.B. 460, has passed the state Senate by a close vote of 23-22.

The bill had been stuck in the Senate Rules and Operations Committee where it has been since July 8 but was moved to the Senate on Aug. 4 for a vote. 

The bill is now in the state House.  

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Find North Carolina state House representatives here including a "lookup" form to find your own representative if you live in the state. Just click on the names to get contact information. Write or call right now and urge them to pass S.B. 460 to give law enforcement the tools to identify commercial dog breeders and stop the abuses that inflict suffering on the dogs, defraud consumers, and burden animal control and local communities with dogs dumped by puppy mills or when substantial resources must be spent to shut down a puppy mill and impound, care for and place the dogs. 

For more on this bill, read Animal Law Coalition's reports below.

Update July 2: A committee substitute version of S.B. 460, the North Carolina puppy mill bill, has passed the Senate Finance Committee.  

The bill is set for a vote before the full North Carolina Senate on July 8.

The state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (DACS) estimates there are at least 200 commercial dog breeders operating in the state with no regulation.  DACS estimates there are at least 79 breeders operating in North Carolina that would be subject to this bill should it become law. 

DACS spokespersons stress "this is most likely a very conservative estimate of the actual number of commercial dog breeders; because the industry is unregulated, it is essentially a hidden industry, making an accurate estimate of the number of breeders, at best, an educated guess."

The number of commercial breeders is expected to grow substantially in five years.

Read Animal Law Coalition's reports below for more on this bill, S.B. 460.

Update May 7: S.B. 460, one of 3 puppy mill bills pending in the North Carolina legislature, has been approved by a Senate legislative Committee and referred to the Senate Finance Committee.

The committee passed a substitute version of S.B. 460.

This bill does not limit the number of breeding dogs a breeder could maintain but would require licensing by commercial breeders with 15 or more breeding dogs and 30 or more puppies for sale during a 12 month period.  Failure to obtain a license is a Class 2 misdemeanor that could also mean seizure and impoundment of the animals.

These breeders could not breed female dogs unless a veterinarian has certified they are in "suitable health for breeding". These breeders would be subject to inspection including of their records, animals, and premises for breeding or maintaining the animals.

The Dept. of Agriculture would be required to issue standards for care, veterinary care, exercise, housing and record keeping. Failure to comply could mean a fine between $50-$1000 and seizure and impoundment of the animals and revocation of the license.