New DOG BITE DISCLOSURE law - effective January 2020

California Governor, Gavin Newsom, has signed AB 588 into law. The law effectively mandates the disclosure of a dog’s bite history, prior to their being re-homed. The bill goes into effect January 1, 2020.

Despite existing civil and criminal remedies that apply in addressing fraudulent and deceptive practices, such as sanitizing bite histories, or laundering a bite dog through the rescue community, AB 588, requires that an animal shelter -- defined to include a public animal control agency or shelter, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shelter, humane society shelter, or rescue group, must disclose a dog’s bite history and the circumstances related to the bite and obtain a signed acknowledgment from the person to whom a dog is sold, given away, or transferred.

Rescue groups are defined as a for-profit or not-for-profit entity or a collaboration of individuals that removes dogs from a public animal control agency or shelter, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shelter, or humane shelter, or re-homes a dog that has been previously owned by any person other than the original breeder of that dog.

The bite history begins at 4 months of age and is a bite that broke a person’s skin.

The public looks to the animal welfare community to be forthright regarding an animals’ history. If we obfuscate, we lose the public’s trust who will then turn elsewhere to adopt a dog. This legislation protects the shelters and the public, and writes into law what has always been the best practice of credible organizations and rescue groups.

Please take this time to create the documentation requirements before the effective date of the law.