'Puppy Mill' Bill Targets Pet Stores

Pet stores would be held accountable for the origin and health of the animals they sell, if a bill in the House of Delegates passes.

Republican Del. Nicholaus Kipke, of Anne Arundel County, is the lead sponsor of House Bill 131, which would require pet stores to post documents on cages of dogs for sale with credentials of facilities where the animals were born.

Animal advocates from the  had some doubts about the bill's efficacy.

"A lot of the the pet shops say they only buy from registered USDA breeders, but it doesn’t take anything to become a registered breeder," said Jen Swanson, the Baltimore Humane Society's executive director. "The rules set forth by USDA are not enforced."

Without regulation, the business of dogs can turn into what some call "puppy mills," which the ASPCA defines as commercial breeding operations "where profit is given priority over the well-being of the dogs."

According to the Animal Rescue Corps—a national nonprofit that operates rescue, education and investigation efforts—more than 95 percent of pet store dogs come from puppy mills.

The only way to stop the "cycle of abuse" is to shun pet stores that sell animals from breeders, said Swanson.

"The Humane Society’s position is that puppy mills are bad," she said. "There’s just absolutely no reason for them when there’s so many homeless dogs and cats already."

A spokesman for the pet industry said that not every pet store is selling animals from puppy mills. 

“Quality pet stores and quality breeders are the norm, and not the exception,” said Michael Maddox, general counsel for the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council, which represents pet retailers. “They abhor the substandard breeders as much as anyone else; it gives them a bad name. We want these bad folks out of business.”

Maddox said his organization supports the concept of the proposed bill, and good pet stores already post information and keep detailed records about animals they buy and sell.

In addition to making information about the animals more visible, the bill would provide a warranty for consumers who buy puppies from retail stores if the animals fall ill.

Health problems are common in animals that come from puppy mills, according to Animal Rescue Corps, which has found that many dogs are not given adequate medical care and some breeders inject dogs with hormones and medications like Viagra to ensure they produce as many puppies as possible.

Under the bill proposed in Maryland, within a certain time frame after a consumer purchases a puppy, the pet store would be required to reimburse veterinary fees up to an amount of three times the purchase price of the dog.

Maddox said his organization's members are concerned about the costs associated with that.

“It would put a lot of pet dealers out of business,” he said.

His membership supports the concept behind some veterinary cost reimbursements, he said, just not three times that amount.

“We support the idea of giving pet owners an alternative,” he said. “They can either bring the dog back, or they can bring the dog back and exchange it, or they can keep the dog and get reimbursed for vet fees. It’s their choice, and we support that concept.”

Kristel Masengale, a sales associate at Today’s Pet in Elkridge, said she has been in the pet store industry for 10 years, and it has changed dramatically with more regulations and laws regarding store operations.

“As long as the business is doing things right—the animals are well taken care of, the breeders are licensed and trusted—typically they’ll do ok,” she said.