Earlier this month, we worked with local animal welfare groups and residents to ensure the Denver City Council unanimously passed a humane pet shop ordinance. Denver is the 26th city in Colorado alone to ban the retail sale of dogs and cats. Across the U.S., 513 localities have enacted humane pet shop ordinances. Denver’s new law also means that 15 of the 20 largest cities in the nation no longer allow pet stores to sell puppy mill puppies.
What is especially heartening about local efforts for animal welfare and protection is that everyone can feel involved in making a difference at the grassroots level. Our Stop Puppy Mills staff and state directors provide invaluable expertise and resources to these ordinance battles, but it’s community members that local elected officials want to hear from most. A plus for advocates who engage on this issue on the local level is that they really get to feel heard.
Successfully passing state and federal legislation can be daunting. For example, even though New Jersey is home to a staggering 150 local pet store laws, state pet shop legislation is stalled at the New Jersey State House, despite overwhelming support. Rather than give up, we’re pivoting to local ordinances, and we joined extremely dedicated New Jersey advocates in celebrating the passage of Union City’s humane pet shop law last Tuesday night. This ordinance will stop three pet shops—all of which we’ve connected to puppy mills—from selling puppies.
Local ordinances banning the sale of puppy mill puppies in pet shops are also rewarding to work on because they really make a difference. In 2023, we reported that an estimated 32,000 fewer breeding dogs were caged in U.S. Department of Agriculture-licensed facilities than 10 years before. Due to state and local humane pet store laws, the number of pet shops selling puppies had shrunk by about one-third, and the average USDA-licensed breeding facility held approximately one-third fewer dogs.
New research from our Stop Puppy Mills campaign shows our work to cut off the puppy mill-to-pet shop pipeline is really working. Puppy mills are churning out far fewer dogs than they were in 2020, with a 44% decrease in puppies born into USDA-licensed facilities. That’s an estimated 550,000 fewer puppies born into awful conditions and treated like mere products.
The total number of puppy mills licensed to sell to pet stores has also decreased by about 420 dealers—an estimated 15% decline since 2020. This includes some notable puppy mills that have appeared in our Horrible Hundred reports for terrible animal welfare records.
With so many humane pet shop laws passing on both the local and state level, it makes sense that this would have an impact on massive commercial pet breeders who rely on third-party sellers like pet shops to hide their cruelty. Many people looking to add a pet to their family want to meet the puppy in person before purchase, so pet stores remain a preferred sales outlet for puppy mills, as compared to online sites where puppies are shipped sight unseen.
A powerful way to stand up for dogs is to encourage anyone looking to bring new pet into their lives to consider adoption and to avoid supporting puppy mills. Animal shelters and rescue organizations across the U.S. are facing a pet overpopulation crisis, and tons of dogs are waiting to be adopted by a loving family. For those who still want to buy rather than adopt, it is imperative to seek out a responsible breeder who proudly shows you where the puppy was born and raised. The only way to ensure a breeder aligns with humane values is to see the way they treat their puppies and parent dogs.
With hundreds of localities, and several states, across the country closed to puppy mill retailers, we are moving closer to the day when cruel dog breeding facilities have nowhere left to sell. This is a movement everyone can get behind, and if pet shops in your community are still allowed to sell puppies , reach out to our Stop Puppy Mills team for help passing an ordinance.
