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Breeder Licensing Bills Fail Again in Montana Legislature

Bigfork representative said he doesn't think the two bills would have helped capture bad breeders

By Molly Priddy

HELENA — Two bills that would have required cat and dog breeders to be licensed and inspected have failed to pass through the Montana Legislature again.

The Lee Newspapers of Montana reports that similar bills have failed to pass for the past four legislative sessions. The bills would have required commercial breeders to apply for a license and be inspected by a state board.

Several people told state officials at an earlier hearing for the bill that puppy mill operators, who breed dogs on a large scale, come to Montana specifically because of the state’s loose laws.

Democratic Representative Willis Curdy of Missoula says the bills tried to deal with a problem before it starts. Republican Representative Mark Noland of Bigfork says he doesn’t think the two bills would have helped capture bad breeders.