The Swedish Parliament has recently given a clear signal that the Consumer Sales Act should be reviewed and better adapted to purchases of live dogs.
When an ordinary consumer buys a product from a business, this is called a consumer purchase. Such purchases are regulated by the Consumer Sales Act.
¶The same rules for a dog and a washing machine
Today, under the Consumer Sales Act, a live animal is treated like any other product. This means that the laws and regulations that apply when buying a washing machine from an appliance store also apply when buying a dog from a breeder.
¶The law currently makes things difficult for breeders
As the Consumer Sales Act is currently designed, dog breeders are placed in a weak position compared with the consumer. If the consumer claims that there is something wrong with the dog, the breeder alone bears the full responsibility of proving that any defects that appear within six months of the purchase did not exist at the time of sale.
¶Parliament wants a tailored Consumer Sales Act
In April last year, a majority in the Riksdag’s Committee on Civil Affairs decided that Parliament would formally call on the government to review the rules in consumer legislation concerning the purchase of live animals, both at the national level and within the EU.
