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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>54323</law_id><section_number>3.2-6515</section_number><catch_line>Written notice of consumer remedies required to be supplied by pet dealers</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>59.1-200</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="3.2">Agriculture, Animal Care, and Food</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="V">Domestic Animals</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="65">Comprehensive Animal Care</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="1" identifier="3">Transportation and Sale of Animals</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> A pet <span class="dictionary">dealer</span> shall give the notice hereinafter set forth in writing to a <span class="dictionary">consumer</span> prior to the delivery of a dog or cat. Such notice shall be embodied in a written <span class="dictionary">contract</span>, the pet <span class="dictionary">dealer</span>&#x2019;s <span class="dictionary">animal</span> history certificate, or a separate document and shall state in ten-point boldface type the following:
			&#x201C;NOTICE
			The sale of dogs and cats is subject to the provisions of the Virginia <span class="dictionary">Consumer</span> Protection Act (&#xA7; <a class="law" title="Title" href="/59.1-196/">59.1-196</a> et seq.). In the event that a licensed veterinarian certifies your <span class="dictionary">animal</span> to be unfit for purchase within 10 days following receipt of your <span class="dictionary">animal</span>, or within 14 days following receipt if the <span class="dictionary">animal</span> is infected with parvovirus, you may choose: (i) to return your <span class="dictionary">animal</span>, or in the case of an <span class="dictionary">animal</span> that has died, the veterinary certification, and receive a refund of the purchase price including sales tax; or (ii) to return the <span class="dictionary">animal</span> and receive an exchange <span class="dictionary">animal</span> of your choice of equivalent value. In the case of an <span class="dictionary">animal</span> purchased from a <span class="dictionary">pet shop</span> or a USDA licensed <span class="dictionary">dealer</span>, you also may choose to retain the <span class="dictionary">animal</span> and receive reimbursement of the cost of veterinary certification and veterinary fees in an amount up to the purchase price of the <span class="dictionary">animal</span>.
			In <span class="dictionary">order</span> to <span class="dictionary">exercise</span> these rights you must present a written veterinary certification that the <span class="dictionary">animal</span> is unfit to the pet <span class="dictionary">dealer</span> within three business days after receiving such certification.
			If the pet <span class="dictionary">dealer</span> has promised to register your <span class="dictionary">animal</span> or to provide the papers necessary therefor and fails to do so within 120 days following the date of <span class="dictionary">contract</span>, you are entitled to return the <span class="dictionary">animal</span> and receive a refund of the purchase price or to retain the <span class="dictionary">animal</span> and receive a refund of an amount not to exceed 50 percent of the purchase price.&#x201D; <a id="paragraph-199438" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/3.2-6515/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> Any violation of this section shall also constitute a prohibited practice under &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Prohibited practices" href="/59.1-200/">59.1-200</a> and shall be subject to the enforcement provisions of the Virginia <span class="dictionary">Consumer</span> Protection Act (&#xA7; <a class="law" title="Title" href="/59.1-196/">59.1-196</a> et seq.). <a id="paragraph-199439" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/3.2-6515/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1984, c. 492, &#xA7; 29-213.51; 1987, c. 488, &#xA7; 3.1-796.81; 2008, c. 860; 2014, c. 448; 2020, c. 412.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
