You won't believe how easily you can keep your dog healthy. Here's what you can do.
In 2015, a federal court upheld a city of Phoenix, Arizona 2013 ordinance that banned the sale of dogs and cats in retail stores unless the animals came from shelters or rescues.
The ordinance is once again under challenge (more about that shortly), but last year’s ruling by a federal court judge managed to shine a bright light on the number of pets sold in Maricopa County (where Phoenix is located), as well as the state of Arizona.
According to the ruling, one pet store in a Phoenix-area mall sells 500 puppies a year, which accounts for just 2.2 percent of the county’s dog sales, and 1.2 percent of state sales.
Even with all those placements and transfers, Maricopa County killed over 10,000 dogs. That’s just one county, in one state, in one year.
Why a U.S. District Court Got Involved
In fact, the pet product industry was so interested they collected $125,000 to help Puppies ‘N Love fight their legal battle against the Phoenix ordinance. Four “leading pet industry organizations” proudly announced their intentions in a press release.2Those organizations were:
American Pet Products Association (APPA)
Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC)
Pet Industry Distributors Association (PIDA)
World Pet Association (WPA)
You might want to make a mental note of these four groups. Their $125,000 donation to Puppies ‘N Love lets us know they are just fine with the existence of puppy mills as suppliers of animals to pet stores.Fortunately, a federal court upheld the city of Phoenix ordinance last year, but sadly, that’s not the end of the story.
Pet Store Owners Take Their Case to the Arizona Legislature
Still determined to peddle their puppies, the owners of Puppies ‘N Love approached the Arizona legislature for help after the federal court ruled against them last year.If you’re interested and have the stomach for it, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has uploaded 18 pages of severe violations noted at dog breeding facilities as quoted in USDA Inspection Reports at this link.
Stop Puppy Mills: Things You Can Do
Excerpted from the Best Friends Resources page:Adopt your next pet.
Don't buy a puppy online or from a pet store.
Take action against pet stores that sell dogs supplied by puppy mills.
Support legislation that regulates and reduces breeding of animals.
Become an expert on the subject
Know the existing laws.
Ask government officials to pass stricter laws for pet stores and dog breeders.
Speak out in your community.
Elect animal-friendly candidates.
Report bad puppy stores.
Raise awareness and/or donations. Host an awareness-raising or fundraising event in your community.
Don't give up. The fight against puppy mills and bad breeders has been going on for decades. Things won't change overnight, but we are making progress and each little change helps. If you educate just one person about the horrors of puppy mills or convince just one person to adopt rather than buy a pet, you've made a difference.
It's important to fight against horrible puppy mills and irresponsible breeders. Keep all animals happy and safe. Be a doggy advocate and inform your family and friends. And whether you choose to get a Pug or another doggy breed from a breeder, making sure the breeder is responsible and does not run a puppy mill.
For more information on stopping puppy mills, visit Healthy Pets.
