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EDITORIAL: Common sense prevails in case of Arizona pet masseuse

Regular readers might recall that last June we wrote about Grace Granatelli, an animal masseuse in Scottsdale, Ariz., who was being hassled by that state’s veterinary medical examining board.

The case provided a perfect example of how many occupational licensing regulations — rather than promote public safety or consumer interests — too often serve only to protect entrenched elites at the expense of innovation, entrepreneurship and job creation.

But in the case of Ms. Granatelli, common sense has finally prevailed.

As the New York Times documented last year, Ms. Granatelli launched her own business offering Swedish doggy massages during the recession after attending workshops and taking courses. She used her car as her primary form of advertising. (Her Pawsitive Touch website address is stenciled into her back window.)

Ms. Granatelli should have been applauded for her entrepreneurial efforts. But Arizona’s Veterinary Medical Examining Board wasn’t cheering. In 2013, the board issued Ms. Granatelli a cease-and-desist letter, demanding that she shut down her business because she was “medically” treating animals without a veterinary degree.

You can’t make this stuff up.

If Ms. Granatelli ignored the silly letter, she risked a $1,000 fine for each doggy massage that she performed from that point forward. Even worse, the only way Ms. Granatelli could bring her business into compliance with the panel’s demands was to spend $250,000 to attend four years of veterinary school — few of which, the Times pointed out, even offer courses in animal massage.

In March 2014, the Institute for Justice, a public-interest law firm based in Virginia that is well versed in challenging this kind of burdensome overreach, filed a lawsuit in Arizona on behalf of Ms. Granatelli and others. Recognizing the legal fragility of its position, the Arizona board last week agreed to stop using the state’s veterinary laws to harass animal massage practitioners.

According to the agreement signed by Judge David Udall, the regulatory board is now prohibited from requiring animal massage practitioners to have a veterinary license, and pet masseurs will no longer have to work under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian.

The case should be a lesson to lawmakers. According to IJ, Nevada is among the states with the most burdensome licensing obstacles. The plight of Grace Granatelli should be further impetus for state lawmakers — in Nevada and across the country — to re-examine the wisdom of erecting dubious statutory barriers in front of those simply seeking to make an honest living.

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