This bill amends existing law (RCW 16.52.310) to change limits and impose detailed minimum care standards for people who own, possess, control, or otherwise have charge or custody of dogs. It lowers the cap on dogs with intact sexual organs older than six months from 50 to 20, and lowers the threshold that triggers mandatory housing and care standards from more than 10 intact dogs to more than four intact dogs kept in an enclosure for the majority of the day. Violating the dog-count limit or the specified minimum standards is made a gross misdemeanor. The amendment prescribes procedural and substantive care requirements: each dog over four months must receive at least two exercise periods per day totaling at least two hours (via leash walking or access to a larger enclosure), certain forced-exercise devices are prohibited unless prescribed by a veterinarian, and a veterinarian may certify a dog as medically precluded from exercise. It raises enclosure size requirements and sets interior height, sanitation, ventilation, lighting, flooring, fire suppression, waste removal (at least daily), and potable water standards. It imposes compatibility and separation rules for aggressive animals, females in heat, breeding females and litters, and puppies under 12 weeks; limits breeding to dogs aged 12 months to eight years; requires timely veterinary care and that euthanasia be performed only by a licensed veterinarian; and limits primary enclosure height and stacking. The text defines “dog” and “retail pet store.” The bill lists exemptions for publicly operated animal control facilities and shelters, private nonprofit humane/adoption organizations, veterinary facilities, retail pet stores, research institutions, boarding facilities, and grooming facilities. Affected parties include dog owners and custodians and veterinary professionals referenced for certifications and prescriptions. The excerpt does not show an effective date, enforcement mechanisms beyond the gross misdemeanor classification, potential fines, inspection or licensing procedures, or whether other sections or clauses (such as severability) appear elsewhere in the bill. The bill is identified as H-0926.1, House Bill 1716 (69th Legislature, 2025 Regular Session).

If enacted, people who keep or breed dogs will face stricter limits and much higher day-to-day care obligations: owners can’t have more than 20 intact dogs over six months, and anyone with more than four intact dogs kept in enclosures will likely need to make physical upgrades (larger, taller enclosures, better ventilation, shade, fire suppression, nonstacked kennels), provide at least two hours of supervised exercise per dog each day, remove waste daily, ensure constant potable water, provide timely veterinary care, and follow new breeding age limits. Practically this means many hobby breeders or small commercial operations will need to reduce their numbers, invest in facility changes, increase staffing or veterinary services, or stop breeding dogs outside the allowed ages; veterinarians will see more demand to certify medical exercise exemptions and to perform euthanasia when required. The bill also creates criminal risk for noncompliance by making key violations a gross misdemeanor, while explicitly exempting public shelters, nonprofit humane organizations, vet clinics, retail pet stores, research, boarding, and grooming facilities. Important implementation details are missing from the provided text—there’s no effective date, inspection or enforcement process, or specified fines—so how and when owners must comply and who will enforce these standards is unclear.