Illinois Breeder Bill Gone Wild

Lawmakers in IL have proposed a bill to regulate dog breeders. Emphasis on regulate:

Under "Definitions":

"Sanitized" means [...] Washing all soiled surfaces with appropriate detergent solutions or disinfectant products followed by a clean water rinse that removes all organic material and mineral buildup.

How do I know if I've removed all mineral buildup? How will the inspectors determine if I've removed all mineral buildup?



"Unaltered dog" means any dog that is not spaded or neutered.

Dude, really? SPADED? Before you attempt to write a law that will impact the lives of IL citizens, you might want to, oh I don't know, figure out what the hell you're talking about.

So who needs to apply for a license?

Any person who maintains 3 or more female dogs for the purpose of the sale of their offspring must be licensed under this Act.

OK that will include most all breeders. Way to not make anyone feel left out. What does the application for the license involve (besides the non-refundable fee, natch)?


The Department must require information from the applicant that, in its judgment, will enable the Department to determine the qualifications of the applicant for license. Such information must include the location of all facilities to be used, description of facilities to be used, present and previous business connections and experience, bank and professional references [...]


Wow - that's a lot of personal information for me to hand over to the state. I hope there isn't much more. I mean, I'm not a puppy mill, I just own 3 or more intact bitches and breed a litter once in awhile.


Applicants for licensure must have their fingerprints submitted to the Illinois State Police in an electronic format that complies with the form and manner for requesting and furnishing criminal history record information as prescribed by the Illinois State Police. These fingerprints must be checked against the most current Illinois State Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal history record databases. The Illinois State Police may charge applicants a fee for conducting the criminal history records check [...] The Department may require applicants to pay a separate fingerprinting fee [...]

ZOMG! This sounds kinda like I'm under arrest. And they're charging me for the privilege...



Every year the Department must conduct at least one unannounced inspection of the licensee. An inspection fee may be set by rule.

IL hearts fees.

There's lots more in this bill including how often you must take your dogs to the Vet, inability to use your own judgment on breeding (Vet's approval required, age limitations set) and provision for inspection even if you don't apply for the license but authorities say you should have applied. I interpret that to mean if animal control thinks you have 3 intact bitches, they can bust down your door and demand access to your "facility", records, dogs, etc.

Read the whole ill-begotten thing here.

IL residents can find contact info for members of the House and Senate and let them know their opinion of HB0198. The bill's primary sponsor is Rep. Fritchey and the complete list of sponsors can be found here.