Bill Would Make Animal Breeders Register With Health Department

Dog and cat breeders would be required to register with the state Health Department under proposed legislation announced Thursday by the Seattle-based Progressive Animal Welfare Society.

House Bill 1994 calls for the Health Department to develop and enforce regulations for anyone who sells five or more litters of cats or dogs in a year. Current federal regulations don’t apply to breeders who sell directly to the public.

Sponsors of the bill are state Reps. Steve Van Luven, R-Bellevue, and Sandra Romero, D-Olympia. Sen. Pat Thibaudeau, D-Seattle, will sponsor the legislation in the state Senate.

Last month’s raid of an allegedly abusive breeding operation in Pend Oreille County demonstrated the need for state regulation, according to the Progressive Animal Welfare Society.

Sheriff’s officers and volunteers said they found 15 dead dogs and 230 neglected or abused dogs at Jeanette and Swen Bergman’s Mountain Top Kennel near Newport. Authorities said they euthanized 24 dogs and shot one to death because they were in poor health or too aggressive to handle.

The Bergmans face 27 counts of second-degree animal cruelty and illegally removing more than half of a dog’s ears.