Help Protect the Recently Passed Puppy Mill Ban!

  • by: Jay Starr
  • recipient: Cook County commissioners Joan Murphy ( joan.murphy@cookcountyil.gov ) and Elizabeth Doody Gorman (liz@lizgorman.com)

Just one month after the County Board unanimously voted to enact a groundbreaking ordinance to fight the cruelty of puppy mills by prohibiting pet stores from selling dogs and cats unless they come from shelters, rescue groups or small-scale breeders, an amendment was introduced that would undo the important strides made to protect both consumers and pets suffering in mills. The amendment was crafted in conjunction with representatives of pet shops and the puppy mill industry who have a vested financial interest in maintaining the status quo. The amendment will allow pet stores to continue selling pets from inhumane pet mills. This would be a huge step backward. Federal standards are incredibly weak and insufficiently enforced. As a result, an absence of recorded violations is no guarantee that a commercial breeder is humane. There are only a handful of USDA inspectors to cover the entire country and inspections are infrequent - having no recent violations doesn't guarantee that a high-volume commercial breeder is not in violation, nor that their animals are not suffering or being bred inhumanely and irresponsibly. Furthermore, the standards of care required by the USDA allow a dog in a breeding facility to be kept in a wire cage only 6 inches larger than the dog, for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for the dog's entire life. The standards allow dogs to be bred continuously in order to produce as many puppies as possible for the pet trade. Thousands of Cook County residents have already communicated their support for the original ordinance. Joining them in this effort are local animal rights groups like the Puppy Mill Project, PAWS Chicago and the Chicago Animal Shelter Alliance, and national groups including the ASPCA, Humane Society of the United States and Best Friends Animal Society. This attempt to undo the recent action of the Cook County Board would allow the puppy mill industry to continue exploiting animals, causing our shelters to be overburdened with companion animals housed and killed at taxpayer expense.

Update #19 years ago
I'd like to thank everyone personally for signing the petition. You are all hereos! For further impact, I urge those that can to send a short message to the commissioners who are listed. Their emails are provided. Thanks again!
Jay
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