Back in May of 2017, Hillsborough County said “no more” to puppy stores, but grandfathered the three puppy stores in. Which in our eyes is no ban, of course.
But the puppy mill paradigm reared its ugly head last September when 300 puppy mill dogs had to be rescued in Hillsborough County in deplorable condition.
Who let the dogs out? Hillsborough County says puppy mill rescues now ready for adoption
More than 300 dogs were rescued in mid-September from terrible conditions inside a Valrico puppy mill. They will be put up for adoption in a few weeks.
These are four of the puppies rescued from a puppy mill in Valrico as they wait to be checked by veterinary staff at the Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center. More than 300 small-breed dogs were rescued in September and will soon be put up for adoption. [MARTHA ASENCIO-RHINE | Times]
Just like Reno’s errant puppy store’s Grand Jury indictment got Reno to entertain a ban in earnest once again, so to the terrible ways of the puppy mills and the stores that sell them (all retail stores, as you should know by now) always seem to inflame animal rights and consumer protection activists to get bans passed in their cities, counties, states and even entires countries.
We track jurisdictions that have passed strong restrictions rather than full bans because we believe their inherent flaws will eventually lead to full bans being passed. This is a great example of why jurisdictions should just pass a full ban, no grandfathering and be done with the whole hot mess.
Dog and cat retailers banned in Hillsborough, commission rules
The change prohibits all commercial cat and dog sales in the county, which could force Hillsborough’s three remaining pet shops out of business.
After a 3 year hiatus commencing with the Trump Administration’s takeover of the Department of Agriculture, USDA puppy mill inspection reports are back online after a legislative act forced the public information be given back to the public the reports are meant to serve.
Just weeks after puppy store Puppy World opened in Olympia Washington, activist and veterinarian council member Lisa Parshley led the charge at the city council which passed a ban unanimously in a first reading on 2/11/20.
Council Member and Veterinarian Lisa Parshley
Puppy World is part of a small, but clearly interested in expanding, franchise called PuppyLand which operates in Puyallup, WA; Olympia, WA (but only until amortization expires next September); and Meridian, Idaho.
This passage brings the count to 7 bans in Washington.
One wonders if activists in neighboring Oregon just don’t care…. They are the only state on the west coast to not have a single ban anywhere in the state.
To be fair, the state legislature entertained a state-wide ban in the 2018 session, but without a single town or city making a statement, it’s hard to get states to sign on.
Jurisdictions with puppy stores in them when bans were passed has now increased to 72. Two in a row now with the fantastic news from Naperville, Illinois, whose ban passed 1/2020 after 6 years of fighting to get it done.
Heart strings across the globe where tugged when the news broke of poor Lucy, the puppy farm breeder dog with a deformed back who was rescued from a puppy farm in Wales.
Lucy, recused.
The good news from that sad story is that it sparked the first countrywide ban in the world. England passed its ban in the summer of 2019 to become affective April Fools’ Day, 2020.
Wales
Welsh activists have long hoped a similar ban in Wales could actually pass before England’s went into effect. But often the wheels of law turn slowly. Wales had its public comment period completed last summer and the law will be “laid” sometime in the near future, but the nightmare of BREXIT has put a lot of UK laws on the back burner until they figure out the path forward.
The Wales Parliament has met this month and projected a laying if the law, but not before Spring.
Scotland
Scotland, too, has started the process. A little bit of a surprise as there were some important players in the animal welfare realm in Scotland that were actually against the law for some perplexing reason. But, speaking of reason, reason prevailed and Scotland is moving forward. Though they not only have a Brexit to contend with, but a growing movement for independence from the UK which has an urgency at the moment.
Northern Ireland
That left Northern Ireland as the only UK member country to not take a position on England’s passage of Lucy’s Law. Calls for action and passage continue to come in. One in August 2019 and now, 1/2020, the Belfast City Council is demanding parliament take action sooner than later.
UK
Links and latest news can be seen in our UK section. Click the details arrow for information.
New Jersey bans total well over 100. Not easy to track when some city, borough, township and village names are the same and some counties have cities with the same name in them.
But the fight over ordinance passage in the township of Washington (not to be confused with Burlington City, both of which are in Burlington County, or nearby Burlington, Connecticut, or the capital of Vermont) ended with a win.
The Mayor was absent when the council unanimously passed Washington’s retail animal sales ban. But when the law crossed his desk, he said no. “Vetoed!”
The Council was having none of it and promptly vetoed the veto.
X. VETO OVERRIDE: O13 – 2016: ORDINANCE RESTRICTING THE SALE OF DOGS AND CATS FROM PET SHOPS
At a time where there are healthy and loving pets waiting to be adopted from animal shelters statewide, there is simply no reason to allow the sale of puppy mill animals. Puppy mill animals are mistreated from birth, and often develop behavioral or physical health problems later in life despite their high price tags. This bill would encourage the adoption of dogs, cats and rabbits and ensure that animals no longer have to face the cruelty, physical and psychological abuse to which the puppy mill supply chain subjects animals.
Prohibits retail pet store from selling or offering to sell dog other than dog acquired from animal shelter, humane society, dog control district or nonprofit corporation that provides rescue services.
This bill prohibits a pet store from selling dogs and cats beginning on January 1, 2020. A person who violates this prohibition is subject to a civil forfeiture of up to $10,000 for the first offense and up to $25,000 for the second or any subsequent offense.
Maine was the first state to pass a ban on sale of dogs and cats through their legislature, but controversial governor LePage refused to sign the bill. It’s now in the hands of new governor Mills, but it’s not clear if she will sign.
Gov. Janet Mills should sign L.D. 1311. It will effectively impact puppy mills by shrinking the marketplace and drive Maine’s pet market towards more humane sources.
A person may not advertise for sale, sell or exchange for value more than one cat or dog under the age of 6 months in a 12-month period unless that person has a valid animal shelter, kennel, or breeding kennel or pet shop license or a valid vendor’s license issued under this section.
Legislators and the Gubernatorial mansion ally against puppy mills.
“I’m honored to be partnering with First Gentleman Reis to shed light on the abhorrent conditions at puppy mills,” said Rep. Duran, D-Wheat Ridge.“Every dog deserves to live in happiness and safety. Our furry friends demand very little in exchange for unconditional love and attention, and I look forward to taking action to address the inhumane treatment of animals in our state.”
First Gentleman Reis and Representative Duran are exploring legislative proposals to ensure the health and safety of dogs and cats.
On Puppy Mill Awareness Day, Rep. Duran & First Gentleman Reis Draw Attention to the Need to Protect Our Canine Friends. Article.
But after a recent exposé of sick and dying puppies at a store that has had puppy deaths not long after sales dating back to 2002, legislation ending puppy and kitten sales in Colorado now seems to be on a fast track.
Pet Store Ban? Talks Underway After More Than A Decade Of Complaints About Sick Puppies
Others
NEVADA
Other states bringing up the issue so far include Nevada. State Legislature there meets only every two years. Next legislative session, February 2021.
A Bill Draft will be submitted to end the sales of dogs, cats, rabbits in retail stores in the state of Nevada by Senator Julia Ratti.
ARIZONA
Arizona doesn’t have a state ban in the pipe, but there is a provision to end the statewide prohibition of local bans, which would allow the two bands in Phoenix and Tempe, which are still written into their municipal code, to become immediately enforceable. Tucson, Arizona, was on the eve of passing a local ban when the state law took effect. Ending the state prohibition of local bans would see passage of the Tucson ban occur soon thereafter.
…Includes a repeal of the prohibition of local retail store bans. Phoenix and Tempe city ordinances are still on the books, made unenforceable by state law. If 2329 passes with repeal intact, Phoenix and Tempe will not only enforce, but Tucson has been holding a city ordinance in the ready for when they will be able to enforce it.
The ‘wonky’ Welsh puppy who is Boris Johnson’s new Downing Street dog
The little Jack Russell cross puppy with a misaligned jaw was abandoned by a puppy farmer
Who on earth would kill adorable Dilyn?
The new dog set to reside at Downing Street has been rescued from the South Wales Valleys.
At just 15-weeks-old, the little Jack Russell cross puppy named Dilyn nearly found himself being shot or drowned after being abandoned by a Welsh puppy farmer.
The Deep South of the state of California has been trying to rid itself of multiple store owner David Salinas for six years.
San Diego was the first to throw one of his stores out in 2013.
Then Encinitas and San Marcos in 2015.
Then Oceanside and Carlsbad in 2016.
Solana Beach, Vista and Del Mar passed preventive ordinances to make sure he didn’t come there.
Then the great state of California passed a comprehensive ban of retail sales of dogs, cats and rabbits in October 2017, effective 1/1/19.
But he’s still at it.
Activists have had enough.
National City still has 2 puppy stores open and doing the business of passing on the progeny of tortured, malnourished, sickly, spirit-broken dogs onto unknowing customers for a substantial premium.
Salinas is not going easily into that good night. He surely doesn’t want to let go of his easy money stream so he is hanging on with all his might to the last torn threads surrounding the state’s language loopholes.
But activists are there to virtually tar and feather him every step of the way.
Thank you southern California activists, for leading the way on fighting these stores to the bitter end and showing the rest of the country the steps they might have to take when their states pass a comprehensive retail animal sales ban.
Yesterday the government of Wales published the long-awaited document reviewing submissions of comments (“consultations”) by the public. Remarks were submitted by 458 agencies, organizations and individuals in the open period from 19 February – 17 May 2019.
The results are quite as expected. Near unanimous support with a few eye-rollers: the typical fatuous argument that a ban won’t completely end the industry so why bother to do anything at all.
Blue Cross, an animal rescue and rehoming agency active in Wales, Scotland and England since 1897, had this to say:
We don’t agree that just introducing a ban on thirdparty sellers will have any impact on those sellers that make large profits and choose to operate outside the licensing regime. We believe that before introducing a potentially knee jerk piece of legislation, the government must assess the scale of the third party trade in puppies and the impact any such ban would have on licensed large scale breeders.
Blue Cross submission to the Gov’t of Wales Call for Consultation on ending third party sales of dogs and cats. Emphasis ours.
They go on about stricter regulations being the best course. We in the ‘States know this strategy simply does not work as most governments are unwilling to put additional staffing and revenue/expense burdens on those budgets already stretched, which the route of strong restrictions causes en masse.
Flag of Wales
New York City is a showcase for this. NYC’s strong restrictions of dog and cat retail sales have proven near-completely unenforceable and sales go on largely unchecked, while their outright ban of rabbit sales has put a stopper on the rabbit overpopulation problem by directly ending impulse purchases in pet stores.
The English ban is set for enforcement on 1 April 2020. The law was deemed Lucy’s Law after news about a spaniel in a typical puppy mill horror situation achieved viral status in the UK. Lucy was imprisoned in a puppy mill in Wales.
Lucy tugged at the Brit’s heartstrings when photos of her fused hips and curved spine from years of living an empty life of nothing but breeding went viral on social and news media. This image is from a Sky News May 19, 2019, article: ‘Lucy’s Law’ puppy farm ban set to be confirmed.
Welsh activists have called on their government to “beat the English to it.” With Lucy’s Law laid in the spring of this year the Welsh government would have to move swiftly, mandating enforcement in less than 8 months, to win the race of taking this critical step in ending animal cruelty in the British Isles.
Either way, England and Wales are now the de facto model to the world of how a countrywide ban can be enacted through the determination of activists to bring about change.
Yesterday the government of Wales published the long-awaited 