Sacramento, Calif., March 13, 2024 – Today, Assemblymember Bill Essayli (R-Corona) introduced AB 2425, a bill sponsored by Social Compassion in Legislation (SCIL), that will expand the definition of dog breeder and ensure that all dogs sold by breeders are microchipped and vaccinated. The bill also includes provisions requiring that shelters post the adoption availability of animals on their website or a third-party website. Lastly, it will order the California Department of Food and Agriculture to conduct a study on overcrowding in California shelters and potential remedies, including a statewide database listing all dogs and cats available for adoption.

Each of these provisions will help in its own way to address the pet overpopulation problem:

-Current law states that a person must sell three or more litters, or 20 or more dogs, to be defined as a breeder. This bill will lower the threshold to qualify as a breeder to two or more litters, or 10 or more dogs.

-Current law states that animal shelters must vaccinate and microchip dogs before adopting them out, but breeders are not subject to the same rules. This bill will apply the same vaccination and microchipping requirements to breeders. 

-Under current law, shelters only have to keep records of animals available for adoption on paper. This bill will require that they display animals in their care and available for adoption online, in a conspicuous location on their own website or that of a third party such as PetFinder.com or AdoptAPet.com. 

- Lastly, the bill calls for a study on the overcrowding of California pet shelters and ways to address the problem, and on the feasibility of setting up and maintaining a statewide database that would include all animals available for adoption.

“I’m proud to be authoring AB 2425, Bowie’s Law, which will mandate new dog breeder standards for enforcement, provide a publicly available database of adoptable animals in every shelter, and require a comprehensive study on the solutions to shelter overcrowding," said Assemblymember Bill Essayli.

"This is multifaceted approach to the tragedy of our current system that results in thousands of otherwise healthy animals being euthanized each year due to a lack of shelter resources. Among those animals was a puppy named Bowie, who was put down shortly before he was scheduled to be adopted by an animal rescue. I’ve worked with Social Compassion in Legislation to draft AB 2425 with the goal of moving California toward a world where no other adoptable animal meets Bowie’s fate.”

“Backyard breeding is one of the main causes of California’s dire pet overpopulation crisis," said Judie Mancuso, Founder and President of Social Compassion in Legislation. “People are constantly asking me why no one cracks down on those who repeatedly breed their animals as a money-making hobby, even as taxpayers bear the cost of housing, rehoming, and euthanizing hundreds of thousands of healthy, adoptable shelter animals every year. I tell them that SCIL is doing what we can at the state level, but it’s up to local jurisdictions to enact and enforce tough ordinances and ensure compliance with state law. By subjecting more backyard breeders to state regulations and ensuring the public has easier access to adoptable animals, AB 2425 moves us in the right direction.”

AB 2425 will be heard in the first committee hearing in April.

SCIL is sponsoring ten bills that will directly save animals’ lives this year! It’s going to be a lot of work, and we need your financial support. If you’re in a position to do so, please consider making a donation of any size today.

Thank you so much,

Judie Mancuso, founder/CEO/president

Social Compassion in Legislation