HB1717 Summary

• Requires persons who offer dogs or cats for sale through public media advertising to register with the Arkansas Agriculture Department, including casual breeders (3 or fewer breeding animals) and commercial breeders (more than 3 breeding animals).

• Registration must include seller's name, facility locations, principal agent information, operation start date, number of breeding animals, and optional veterinary health certificates; registrations valid for 2 years with 60-day reporting requirement for changes.

• Establishes annual registration fees of $25 for casual breeders and $100 for commercial breeders; creates public-facing list of registered sellers on department website showing only name and registration number.

• Requires sellers to include registration number in all public media advertisements and prohibits selling dogs or cats on another's property without written permission; violations subject to fines of $100 and Class C misdemeanor charges for failure to register.

• Creates Dog and Cat Sale Registration Fund to receive registration fees, penalties, grants, and other authorized funds for department administration of the registration program.