Ohio bill would crack down on puppy mill pet sales
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WJW) – State Representative Michele Grim (D-Toledo) has been working to gain support for House Bill 443, a piece of legislation that aims to crack down on puppy mill pet sales at stores around Ohio.
“Under the watch of statewide law, retailers such as Petland have notoriously engaged in the purchasing of puppies from puppy mills and sold these unhealthy pets to unsuspecting families,” Grim said.
HB 443 is a bipartisan bill introduced on March 12 by Grim and Sara Carruthers. It would change the Ohio Revised Code to allow local governments to regulate the sale of puppies in stores.
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“Local communities have a right to determine what business practices they deem acceptable or not, such as partaking in the puppy mill trade,” Grim said.
Three Ohio families have active lawsuits against Petland for selling puppies with health issues.
“Genetic diseases, contagious diseases, all of the above and that presents a financial issue for the consumer but more than that, it’s emotional,” Attorney DanaMarie Pannella said. “You become very attached to those animals when you purchase or adopt them, and you want to make sure that they’re healthy.”
Pannella represents the plaintiffs in the lawsuits. She says consumers spend a premium on these pets and their health care can be even more costly. Several pets have died from severe health complications like kidney disease.
“Thousands of dollars because they believed they were purchasing a healthy pet, when in reality those pets were not healthy,” she said.
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Petland has been an Ohio based business since 1967. It claims that it operates openly and ethically.
In a statement, Petland says it has never sourced pets from puppy mills.
“Our breeders are regulated and inspected by the USDA and the Ohio Department of Agriculture, and they must be without a single violation for in the past two years. All Petland breeder partners operate at levels far exceeding USDA standards.” – Petland Inc. statement.
Petland estimates 51,000 puppies have been sold in Ohio over the last five years, with only 12 claims filed against them with the Ohio Attorney General (0.02 percent).
“Because they are living beings, like babies, puppies can get sick. Unlike the internet seller or the back yard breeder, Petland offers a Puppy Health Warranty to help new families avoid any unforeseen medical cost if the puppy becomes ill after it goes home. In the event a puppy inhouse is undergoing medical treatment for an illness or condition, they do not appear in the store’s online puppy album, nor are they in the window and available for visits or for sale until they are well. A puppy receiving treatment must be cleared by the store’s state-licensed veterinarian before he/she can be marketed and made available to our guests.” – Petland Inc. statement.
Panella supports House Bill 443 because it could better protect the consumer.
“A bill like this restricts our government from saying enough, we do not need more dogs in our jurisdiction, we don’t need these stores in our jurisdiction, we don’t need this sort of activity,” Pannella said. “If you want a dog, you need to go to an animal shelter, you need to go to a rescue facility, adopt and if not, you need to go to a responsible breeder who will most likely take their animal back if you don’t want it. That’s not the case for pet stores.”
HB 443 is awaiting assignment in House Committee.
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