The Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners on June 4 passed a measure aimed at protecting pet owners. The legislation, sponsored by Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava, would prohibit the predatory lending practice of pet leasing.
“Pet leasing is a heartbreaking scam that takes advantage of our emotional attachment to our pets,” Commissioner Levine Cava said. “The victims of pet leases actually have no idea they’ve signed a lease instead of a loan. We need to do more to protect our pets and their owners from deceptive predatory practices like this.”
Pet leasing is the practice of leasing a pet, usually dogs, to a customer on a contract basis. The practice is controversial because most customers believe they are taking out loans to buy a pet, when in fact they are only leasing an animal that could be repossessed by the lender in the event that payments are missed and often lead to paying much more than what was originally understood by the consumer.
“The ASPCA commends the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners for its decisive action to ban deceptive pet leasing schemes,” said Jennifer Hobgood, senior director of state legislation for the ASPCA, Southeast region. “We thank Commissioner Cava, as well as the measure’s cosponsors, Sen. Javier Souto and Commissioners Barbara Jordan and Eileen Higgins, for their leadership in securing a countywide ban on predatory pet leasing transactions, and we hope the Florida Legislature will follow suit in 2020 to protect consumers and pets throughout the Sunshine State.”
Commissioner Levine Cava thanked the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and the Humane Society for their support and advocacy.
