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The following states have enacted laws that protect consumers when purchasing pets.  To date, there are twenty states with such laws (links on the laws are provided on the table below).  While the laws differ with regard to time limits and conditions under which a purchaser may return a companion animal, all the states allow a consumer to return a “defective pet” and receive a refund/exchange.  Some of the states allow owners to retain the pet and receive reimbursement for veterinary expense.  In general, purchasers have between seven and twenty-one days to return a diseased or otherwise unfit animal.  Additionally, while all the twenty states cover dogs, fifteen of them also cover cats, and one (New Hampshire) includes ferrets under its provisions.

For more on laws covering pet sales, see the Pet Sales Overview.  For a comprehensive legal discussion, see the Detailed Discussion.

 

Arizona	Arkansas	California	Connecticut
Delaware	Florida	Maine	Massachusetts (by administrative reg.)
Minnesota	Nebraska	Nevada	New Hampshire
New Jersey	New York	Oregon – HB 2470 (pdf file – 28.82 KB)	Pennsylvania
Rhode Island	South Carolina	Vermont	Virginia