The following states have enacted laws that protect consumers when purchasing pets.  To date, there are seventeen states with such laws (links on the laws are provided on the table below).  While the laws differ with regard to time limits and conditions under which a purchaser may return a companion animal, all the states allow a consumer to return a “defective pet” and receive a refund/exchange.  Some of the states allow owners to retain the pet and receive reimbursement for veterinary expense.  In general, purchasers have between seven and twenty-one days to return a diseased or otherwise unfit animal.  Additionally, while all the seventeen states cover dogs, fourteen of them also cover cats, and one (New Hampshire) includes ferrets under its provisions.

For more on laws covering pet sales, see the Pet Sales Overview.  For a comprehensive legal discussion, see the Detailed Discussion.