Online pet retailers: retail financing options.

Existing law, the Lockyer-Polanco-Farr Pet Protection Act, requires dealers of dogs and cats to comply with its provisions, including maintaining certain health and safety standards for pets and providing purchasers and prospective purchasers of pets, upon request, with written notice of consumer rights concerning the sale of a pet, including information about available refunds and other remedies. Existing law provides civil penalties for a violation of the act, up to $1,000 per violation, except in certain cases, and allows such an action to be prosecuted by the district attorney or city attorney, as specified. This bill would prohibit an online pet retailer, as defined, from offering, brokering, making a referral for, or otherwise facilitating a loan or other financing option for the adoption or sale of a dog, cat, or rabbit. The bill would not apply to a loan or other financing option for the purchase of a service animal.