{"id":101698,"date":"2023-05-06T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-06T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=101698"},"modified":"2023-05-10T10:33:13","modified_gmt":"2023-05-10T14:33:13","slug":"pet-store-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/pet-store-ban\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s Behind the Pet Store Ban on Retail Pet Sales?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What’s behind the pet store ban on animal sales? Why are some people for or against the bans? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A growing number of US cities, counties, and states are banning pet store sales of dogs, cats, and other animals to combat puppy mills and animal maltreatment. Advocates believe these bans are vital for reducing abuse, but puppy mill owners are finding loopholes to circumvent the restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on to learn more about the drive to ban the retail sale of animals in pet stores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Explaining the Pet Store Ban on Animal Sales <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your local puppy store may be about to get a lot less cute: A growing number of US cities, counties, and states<\/a> are banning the sale of dogs and cats in pet stores in an effort to eradicate puppy mills and curb animal abuse\u2014and New York<\/a> just added its name to the list. In this article, we’ll explain what\u2019s behind the pet store bans on retail animal sales, including who\u2019s for and against them. Can pet stores survive on leash and toy sales alone? We\u2019ll examine experts\u2019 varied opinions on these issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Puppy Mill\/Pet Store Connection\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To understand why more states and municipalities are banning pet stores from selling animals, you have to first know about puppy mills\u2014notoriously abusive operations that mass-produce and sell puppies to pet stores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puppy mills originated in farming in the 1950s<\/a>, when pig and chicken farmers began retrofitting barns to breed dogs to generate extra income. Puppy mills\u2019 physical setup today resembles industrialized egg farms: Often hundreds of breeding dogs are packed into stacked, wire cages, each with just six inches of space or fewer on either side of its body. Legal loopholes enable breeders to skirt exercise requirements for the dogs, depriving them of basic, natural behaviors like running and playing. As a result, many are confined to their cages from first yelp to last yawn, suffering from disease, starvation, and untreated illnesses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mill owners typically breed female dogs twice a year, from eight months old until they pass their peak productivity\u2014at about six pregnancies\u2014then kill them. Along the way, they ship puppies to pet stores to be sold for thousands of dollars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mill puppies often enter pet stores and new homes with genetic conditions, respiratory infections, and parasitic disorders<\/a>. They get sick and die regularly enough that 21 states have enacted \u201cpuppy lemon laws\u201d to refund owners for their vet expenses and losses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Humane Society estimates that 10,000 puppy mills<\/a> operate in the US today. Absent federal enforcement to address the puppy mill problem, states are left to assemble patchwork-quilt responses<\/a>, like cutting off out-of-state supply chains and regulating at the breeder level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

View 1: Bans on Pet Store Animal Sales Are Good<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Animal rights advocates argue that banning pet stores from selling animals is a critical tool to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n