The Indiana State Senate passed the contentious “Puppy Mill Bill,” also known as House Bill 1412, which prevents communities from prohibiting the sale of dogs at pet businesses, according to 21 Alive News.
Before it can be implemented, the bill must receive the governor’s final signature.
According to Jonathan Lawler, president of the Indiana Council for Animal Welfare, the legislation would require pet shops to only purchase animals from ethically responsible breeders and to provide consumers with all information about the animals they are selling up front.
Samantha Chapman, Indiana state director at The Humane Society of the United States, stated that because the measure eliminates current limitations about selling dogs at retail pet stores, it may lead to increased sourcing.
She stated, “Really, this legislation lets a puppy-selling pet store to open in any Hoosier city.
“And now that the guardrails are being taken off in terms of local ordinances limiting the sale of dogs and cats sourced from puppy mills, it allows pet stores to expand across the Hoosier state.”
A puppy mill is a “factory farm” for dogs, where the dogs’ well-being, comfort, and health are sacrificed to meet the needs of the business. The circumstances in these factories are frequently dirty, harsh, and horrific.
Mills supply nearly all of the pet retailers that sell pups.
