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By: David Deschesne

Like a frantic sound system engineer who feels compelled to mindlessly tweak knobs on the instruments, Maine Legislators have passed yet another intrusive law that will expand the ever-growing bureaucracy that is their Animal Welfare department.

Now, pet owners who sell more than one cat or dog within a 12-month period have to be licensed by the State to do so.

Governor Baldacci signed LD 1615, sponsored by Representative Wendy Pieh (D-Bremen) into law on June 27, 2007. Amongst a host of animal-related items, Section 34 enacts a new section, number 4163, to Title 7 of the Maine Revised Statutes that now requires any person who advertises for sale, sells, or exchanges for value more than one cat or dog in a 12-month period to have either a valid animal shelter, kennel, breeding kennel, pet shop, or vendor’s license.

This new law broadly sweeps many “novice” pet owners into a net that will require them to be licensed by the state in order to sell, or even advertise for sale, more than one cat or dog within a 12-month period.

For those not interested in acquiring a pet store or kennel’s license, a new “Vendor’s License” will be available for a $25.00 fee. The Vendor’s license will be only good for 60 days, though, so those who have pets that have litters twice a year will have to reapply to the state again and pay another fee.

The law also requires any advertisement in any newspaper, swap book or internet site to also note the person’s Vendor license number.

People who fail to comply with this new law will be subject to a $200 fine.

In order to enforce compliance, bureaucrats with the animal welfare department will now be required to scan and catalog every newspaper classified, swap and sell book, online service and magazine in the State in order to compile a data list to ensure those who are selling a cat or dog without a license haven’t already advertised to sell, or sold one in the last 12 months.

Title 17, Sec. 1021 (5-A) of the Maine Revised Statutes also grants any animal welfare officer, or police officer the right to seize an animal without a warrant and charge the owner for its upkeep if, under their opinion alone, the animal is being “abused.” This new law will, in effect, cause anyone who sells more than one cat or dog in a 12-month period to be classified as a kennel or pet store for the sixty day vendor license period and allow the same heavy handed tactics to be used against them, as well.

Representative Pieh could not be reached for comment on this new law.