Bill to ban 'pet leasing' would make repossessing animals illegal in NC
We’ve all heard of leasing a car, but how about leasing a dog or cat?
“Pet leasing” has become controversial with some owners having their pets repossessed.
On Tuesday, a bill to ban the practice cleared the Commerce Committee in the General Assembly. One purebred Pomeranian is listed online for more than $4,000.
Financing is an option, but new legislation is aiming to end predatory pet leasing to protect pets and owners.
The bill says the practice is on the rise.
“They came across a family who had bought a pet or thought they had bought a pet from a pet shop only to find out later the contract they had signed was actually a lease and they did not own the pet at all,” said Rep. Wesley Harris (D) of Mecklenburg County.
Harris is sponsoring the bill that says people are getting tricked into monthly payments with outrageous fees to eventually own the pet.
House Bill 226 would prohibit leases and payments that don’t result in pet ownership and make it illegal for pets to be repossessed.
“That’s not good for the family," Harris said. That’s not good for the animal.”
The bill would still allow leasing of purebred dogs for breeding as well as service animals and pets used for entertainment.
The American Kennel Club supports the restrictions, saying:
“AKC opposes predatory leasing practices that victimize potential owners, undermine a lifetime commitment to a pet, and do not confer the rights and responsibilities associated with legal ownership of a pet.”
"I promise you I have never heard of this until I read this bill,” said Mecklenburg County Rep. John Bradford (R).
“It’s more of a preventative action in the sense that it does happen and more importantly it’s capable of happening,” Harris said.
Even though the pet leasing bill cleared the commerce committee, it still needs to make it through two other committees before a vote on the House floor.
