1. According to the Humane Society of the United States and the Companion Animal Protection Society, approximately nine out of every ten puppies that are sold in pet stores come from puppy mills. The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council states that pet stores sell approximately 300,000 to 400,000 puppies each year in the United States. (from www.petfinder.com) If consumers would stop for a moment and think beyond only the cute, furry puppy and research where the puppy actually came from, the business of puppy mills would end.
2. Puppy mill owners might sell their puppies over the Internet, which is ideal because it saves them money with no pet store price markup. If the new owners can’t pick the puppy up at the kennel, they can have the puppy flown to them. The individuals who purchase a puppy this route will not have the opportunity to see the conditions the puppy was born into, nor will they know the risk the puppy has to having hereditary problems due to the lack of care that has gone into the breeding the of the dogs. (Bradley, …show more content…
Because dogs and puppies are neglected and individuals continue to purchase puppies from pet stores or the Internet, a solution is desperately needed.
C. The solution that I propose is: I propose that stricter laws regulating puppy mills be enforced both at the federal and state level and that individuals stop purchasing puppies from pet stores but instead look to other alternatives such as animal shelters.
1. Stricter laws protecting dogs and puppies in puppy mills will help decrease the number of animals suffering. Currently, approximately 20 states have laws protecting dogs in puppy mills. (www.aspca.org) Texas passed House Bill 1451 in 2011, which is in place to allow the state to have more control regarding the oversight of puppy mills. (www.humanesociety.org) This and other similar laws are needed to protect these animals. Although not perfect, states with stricter regulations will have a greater protection for these animals versus states that do not. At the federal level, support of the Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety Act (PUPS), which has been introduced for the third time in three sessions in a row, is needed to help it pass through the US House of Representatives. This bill would require breeders who sell more than 50 dogs a year to have a license and be inspected.