HF 858 Summary

• Prohibits retail pet shops from selling, offering to sell, bartering, auctioning, or otherwise transferring ownership of dogs or cats effective August 1, 2021.

• Allows pet shops to provide space to nonprofit humane societies, animal control agencies, or 501(c)(3) animal rescue organizations to offer dogs and cats for adoption, but prohibits pet shops from owning the animals or receiving fees for space provision.

• Establishes civil fines of up to $1,000 per violation for pet shops that violate the sales prohibition, with each dog or cat transferred constituting a separate violation.

• Amends existing pet dealer regulations to add definitions for "pet shop" and clarifies that humane societies, nonprofits, and animal control agencies are excluded from the definition of "pet dealer."