The Indiana Senate has approved the “puppy mill” bill that prohibits city governments from banning the sale of dogs at pet stores. The controversial bill received a 31-18 vote and is awaiting to be signed into law by the governor. Once enforced, this bill — formally known as House Bill 1412 — will nullify existing ordinances across Indiana that ban retail dog sales.
Still, the bill continues to spark heated opinions, particularly from critics who believe its enactment will do more harm.
Indiana ‘Puppy Mill’ Bill allows breeders to sell dogs at pet stores
Senator Blake Doriot is among the supporters of HB 1412, as reported by IndyStar. He’s certain its enforcement will introduce “some of the strictest standards in the country for retail sales of dogs.”
With this law in place, all pet stores will be required to register their businesses with the state. Additionally, the state will expect these stores to keep up-to-date records as they’ll be subject to regular inspections by government regulators.
Furthermore, this new bill demands that pet stores should only partner with legitimate breeders. These stores can only partner with breeders who meet the canine care certification standards set forth by Purdue University. Proponents of the bill are confident that these harsher restrictions will send bad breeders out of business.
According to Sen. Doriot, local governments who prohibited retail dog sales “stepped out of their lane.”
“This would be no different than a local unit of government telling a grocery store, ‘You can sell bread, you can sell meat, you can sell mayo but you can’t sell cheese’,” Sen. Diriot told WYFI News.
Key supporters of the bill include animal breeders and pet store owners across Indiana. On the other hand, organizations such as the Humane Society, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), and the Association of Indiana Municipalities oppose it. Among the reasons cited by the critics is that banning retail dog sales increases dog adoptions at overcrowded shelters.
