February 3, 2017

HB144 – House Bill 144

Customers and Friends Help Us Support HB144

Dear Customers and Friends of all retail pet stores in GA, Your help is needed to voice your support on legislation protecting consumers, pets, and consumer choice. A national trade association for the retail pet industry is working with several different retailers and other animal companion groups on House Bill 144 (view here). We support this legislation because it increases vaccination standards, provides for reimbursement of veterinary bills for illness and disease observed within two weeks from the date of purchase, strengthens standards for breeders selling into our stores and requires that pet stores provide consumers with more information about the animals they are purchasing. None of the consumer protection standards provided for in HB144 exists in state law today. Retail pet stores that comply with these new standards also get the assurance they will not be forced to close by local communities acting on behalf of extremists in the animal rights community. These extremists are trying to misconstrue what HB144 accomplishes in order to continue their fight to close retail stores and require that companion pets be obtained from rescue organizations only. Although it is admirable to acquire rescue dogs, they do not always meet the demand and needs of consumers.

So far lawmakers have only heard from the opposition.

We need you to do two quick things as soon as you can:

1. Please do a personal and custom email to your own lawmaker and let him or her know that you are a constituent and give the name of street so they know you live in the district. You can find your lawmaker and his or her email address using this site: https://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/. Please consider communicating the following in your own words:

• My family is the proud owner of a pet purchased from a retail pet store.
• I support House Bill 144 because it better protects consumers, animals, and consumer choice.
• I support this legislation because it allows me to obtain the pet of my choosing, requires more transparency or records, provides for payment by pet stores of veterinary bills, and increases the buying standards of pet stores by requiring that they buy from the best USDA and GA licensed breeders only.
• These reforms will better protect thousands of dogs and cats.
• Without HB 144, extremists in the animal rights community can use local government to close pet stores and take away my freedom to choose the pet I want as my companion.

2. When showing your support on social media, please use #YEStoHB144 and #MyPetChoice2017 Please look for another alert in the coming weeks when it is time to communicate with the State Senate members. Thank you for being a loyal customer and supporter of consumer choice.